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(Globe Newswire) Orlando and Vancouver – Village Farms International, Inc. announced it was one of 25 participants selected to participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) upcoming Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing regarding the proposed rescheduling of marijuana in the United States from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act. Village Farms was the only cannabisindustry operator selected to participate in the Rescheduling Hearing, which is currently expected to take place sometime in January or February 2025.
President and CEO Michael DeGiglio commented, “As a U.S.-based company with 35 years of experience in controlled environment agriculture, we are proud to advocate for what we believe is one of the most important movements in health and wellness in our lifetime. The benefits of regulated cannabis are being increasingly embraced by other countries across the globe, many of which are doing so with pragmatic approaches that prioritize the wellbeing of people above politics and the power of special interests. It is long overdue for U.S. policy makers to accept the majority will of the American public and enact commonsense reform that fixes the broken system of criminalization we have today.”
Village Farms’ Global Cannabis General Counsel, Dr. John Harloe, will represent the company as a selected witness at the Rescheduling Hearing. Dr. Harloe and Shane Pennington, who serves as external counsel to the company as a partner at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, LLP, share a common interest in advancing effective cannabis policy in the United States. Mr. Pennington has published extensively on topics related to administrative law and drug policy, including the private nondelegation doctrine, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, judicial deference to administrative agencies, and bureaucratic management and the limits of presidential power.
Dr. John Harloe concluded, “I am honored to represent Village Farms as the only cannabis industry operator selected to participate, and look forward to the opportunity to share our perspective and insight during this pivotal moment for our industry. We are one of the largest growers of cannabis in the world, and our teams have been intricately involved as subject matter experts in the legalization process with regulators in the State of Colorado and the government of Canada. Our participation at this hearing can shine a bright light on the positive economic, medical, and social impacts that a properly-regulated cannabis industry can have in the United States.”
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Dr. John Harloe received his PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, where he spent five years researching cannabinoids and the human endocannabinoid system. He is a member of the State Bars of Colorado, Texas, and Oregon, as well as the National CannabisBar Association, and is Vice Chair of the American Bar Association Cannabis Law and Policy Committee. In 2023, he was appointed by the Governor to Colorado’s Institute of Cannabis Research Governing Board and is a member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society. He previously sat on the SB 22-205 Task Force to advise the Colorado legislature on intoxicating hemp and THC products and the Colorado Hemp Advancement and Management Plan.
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