Puerto Rico: DEA Rescheduling Hearing Wraps This Week

As of 13 July 2026, the DEA’s marijuana rescheduling hearing is in its final week, with proceedings set to end no later than 15 July. For Puerto Rico, where more than 150 licensed dispensaries operate under Act 42-2017, the outcome will help decide whether the partial Schedule III order issued in April expands to cover the wider medical-cannabis market.

This Week’s Schedule

The hearing opened at DEA headquarters in Arlington on 29 June and recessed for the 4 July holiday. Testimony resumed on 6 July. Today, physician Phillip A. Drum, PharmD, is on the stand. On 14 July, the attorneys general of Nebraska, Idaho, Indiana, and Louisiana present their cases opposing rescheduling. There will be no closing arguments: parties will rely on written prehearing statements and the record of oral testimony, per the schedule the administrative law judge set out in his 25 June press release.

The administrative law judge is not bound to any deadline for issuing findings. A final rule from the Department of Justice would come later still.

What Already Changed

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s 23 April final order placed FDA-approved cannabis products and state-licensed medical cannabis into Schedule III. That order already applies to Puerto Rico’s medical dispensaries. Barbados has already pressed local banks to reconsider serving the industry, and the broader Caribbean banking picture shifted in the same direction. When the DEA named only opponents to the hearing panel in June, the composition raised doubts about how much further the rule would go.

What It Means for Travellers

For US visitors holding an out-of-state medical card, nothing changes yet at Puerto Rico dispensaries. The 30-day temporary tourist card process under Regulation 9038 remains in place, and the fee still sits around USD 20 to 50. Recreational possession remains illegal on the island. Federal restrictions on flying with cannabis products, including flights between Puerto Rico and the mainland, still apply.

For Puerto Rico operators, a broader Schedule III move would loosen banking further and remove Section 280E tax exposure for the parts of the market not already covered by the April order. For visitors, the practical effect would be fewer cash-only transactions and, over time, better product tracking.

What to Watch

The hearing ends 15 July. Written submissions from all sides are on file. The administrative law judge’s findings are the next milestone. After that, the Department of Justice decides whether to adopt them.