Weekly Psychedelic Policy Briefing: DEA cannabis rescheduling stay, New Mexico psilocybin rules and Oregon funding gap

A DEA administrative law judge paused the broader case to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III after opponents cited a GAO audit finding that the DEA lacks formal written scheduling procedures and the FDA lacks procedures for its evaluations. The stay does not directly affect future FDA-approved MDMA or psilocybin products, which would be scheduled individually under existing law. Meanwhile, ARPA-H launched SURPASS and related projects to redesign clinical trials through adaptive platforms, predictive modeling, digital twins, automated operations and patient-generated data, but did not clarify whether Schedule I drugs are eligible. In New Mexico, advocates challenged proposed rules requiring every medical psilocybin patient to obtain certification from a controlled-substances clinician, arguing that the model could restrict access and raise costs. Oregon dropped a proposed psilocybin license-fee increase, yet regulators still project a $3.8 million biennial shortfall.