top of page
All Posts from Our Alternative Wellness Blog
Discover how science-driven innovation and real-world regulation intersect in the wellness space. Our alternative wellness blog unpacks trends in functional foods, supplements, and emerging therapies so you can move faster while staying compliant. From FDA guidance to state-by-state nuances, we translate complex rules into clear strategies for brands, investors, and operators. Each post connects market data with practical next steps your team can act on today. Whether youre launching a new product line or scaling a multi-state wellness business, our alternative wellness blog gives you expert insight, strategic context, and actionable ideas to stay ahead of shifting consumer demand and regulatory expectations.
Federal
Federal law, agencies and dates.
Hemp News Break: The Dec 11 fix may ride on a budget bill
Two House members now say out loud how they want to stop the hemp ban from hitting on Dec 11. Nothing is filed and none of it is law, but it's the first real path with a date on it.
Chris Girard
6 days ago1 min read
Federal hemp has two dates, not one: Nov. 12 and Dec. 11, 2026. Here's what I'd do before each.
Everybody says "November 12." Congress already split the federal hemp redefinition into two dates: Nov. 12 for non-natural cannabinoids, Dec. 11 for everything else. Here's what I'd do before each.
Chris Girard
Oct 1610 min read
DEA's new 7-OH threshold notice is not a kratom leaf ban
DEA filed a new notice to put 7-OH and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl in Schedule I above a set threshold. It's getting called a kratom ban. It isn't one, it isn't in effect yet, and "under the line" doesn't mean safe or legal everywhere. Here's how the test actually works and what I'd do with your COAs this month.
Chris Girard
Oct 145 min read
Missouri's hemp date is November 12, not December 11
Congress pushed most federal hemp rules to December 11. Missouri's HB 2641 didn't move for THCA flower, gummies and synthetics. Those hit November 12 regardless. Here's what I'd do before then.
Chris Girard
Oct 103 min read
A DEA denial in Colorado is not a ban on medical registration
DEA just denied a Colorado company's application to grow marijuana under federal registration. It'll get read as DEA slamming the door on state operators. It isn't. But the reason DEA said no should worry anyone with a medical license and an adult-use sister company. Here's what I'd do before you file.
Chris Girard
Oct 75 min read
An FDA Part 15 psychedelics hearing is not a delivery rule
Tonight the comment window on FDA-2026-N-7542 closes. A Part 15 hearing is information-gathering — not a REMS, not rescheduling, and not a delivery rule. Soft talk about credentialing still gets quoted like the industry already signed off.
Chris Girard
Oct 54 min read
A DEA bulk manufacturer notice is not psilocybin legalization
DEA Sep 28 Doc 2026-19803 is a bulk manufacturer application notice for Irvine Labs — not psilocybin legalization, not a deschedule, and not a granted registration.
Chris Girard
Sep 293 min read
DEA's five-tryptamine NPRM is not Schedule I
A September 23 NPRM proposing Schedule I for five tryptamines is not a final Schedule I listing.
Chris Girard
Sep 254 min read
Missouri and Illinois Nov 12 does not wait for December 11
Missouri and Illinois put state intoxicating-hemp clocks on November 12 — federal December 11 does not erase them.
Chris Girard
Sep 165 min read
September 14 is an FDA hearing — not a CSA reschedule
September 14 is an FDA part 15 hearing on supervised therapeutic use of psychedelics — not a CSA reschedule. FDA said scheduling status is out of scope. Keep it separate from the Sep 10 7-OH window and the hemp split clock.
Chris Girard
Sep 94 min read
October 15 is not the statute. Square already began offloading.
Square told mixed-catalog sellers to pull CBD/hemp by Oct 15. That is processor policy, not Public Law - and it hits before Nov 12 and Dec 11 under P.L. 119-103.
Chris Girard
Sep 44 min read
It's signed. Two federal dates: Nov. 12 and Dec. 11.
H.R. 6500 is Public Law 119-103. Two clocks: Nov 12 still hits non-naturally-producible cannabinoids. The rest of section 781 waits until Dec 11. Do not run one cliff.
Chris Girard
Sep 34 min read
Both chambers have acted. Watch the desk. November 12 still governs.
Both chambers have finished with H.R. 6500. That is new. It is still not a statute. November 12 still governs until enrolled text is signed.
Chris Girard
Sep 24 min read
The next step is a signature. December is a hallway, not a rescue.
The House agreed to the Senate amendments to H.R. 6500 on Roll 286. That is not a hemp delay. November 12 is still the date until a signature exists. December, if it comes, is a hallway.
Chris Girard
Sep 15 min read
The House agreed. November 12 is still the date.
The House agreed to the Senate amendments to H.R. 6500 on Roll 286. That is not enrolled text, not a signature, and not Public Law. November 12 is still the federal hemp date.
Chris Girard
Sep 14 min read
A schedule is not a vote. November 12 is still the date.
The House Majority Leader put H.R. 6500, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, on the suspension list starting Tuesday, September 1, 2026. That is a floor calendar. It is not an enacted delay of the hemp cliff. The live federal date is still November 12, 2026. If you are rewriting a catalog, a COA template, or a retailer letter off “Dec 11,” you are trading a Whip PDF for a statute. What the schedule actually says Monday, August 31 is medals and technical bi
Chris Girard
Aug 314 min read
Understanding the DEA's Temporary Scheduling of Kratom Derivatives: What You Need to Know
DEA temporarily put mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 in Schedule I as of Aug 26 through Aug 26 2028 (FR 2026-17429, 91 FR 54948). 7-OH is still not federally scheduled.
Chris Girard
Aug 273 min read
bottom of page