MariMed Moves Toward Federal Cannabis Compliance As DEA Registration Process Begins Ahead Of Schedule III Shift

Jelena MartinovicBy , Featured Writer
Burn After Reading The 30-second intel for operators and investors

MariMed has submitted applications to the DEA to register certain state-licensed medical cannabis operations, a step required to receive Schedule III protections. The DEA hearing begins Monday, June 29, 2026, and is expected to run through July 15.

  • Operators: Medical licenses must be registered with the DEA to qualify for Schedule III protections. If they qualify, normal business expenses become deductible, lowering the federal tax burden and improving free cash flow.
  • Investors: Schedule III could lift earnings without additional sales. MariMed's Q1 fiscal 2026 revenue rose to $39.5 million, adjusted EBITDA reached $3.6 million, and net loss narrowed to $3.8 million. Shares trade at $0.073.
  • Do now: Check whether your medical licenses need DEA registration for Schedule III protections, and follow the DEA hearing, which runs June 29 through July 15.
Short on time? You’re done. Want the numbers?Keep reading ↓

Vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator MariMed Inc. (CSE: MRMD) (OTCQB: MRMD) is looking to benefit from one of the biggest changes in U.S. cannabis regulation in decades.

What Happened

The company said on Thursday that it has submitted applications to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to register certain state-licensed medical cannabis operations.

Why It Matters

In order to receive the protections provided by the federal rescheduling of medical marijuana to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the company is required to register its medical cannabis licenses with the DEA.

The DEA hearing starts on Monday, June 29, 2026. It is expected to run through July 15.

“DEA registration of certain of our medical businesses marks an important step forward for MariMed as we move the Company toward becoming a federally legal business,” MariMed CEO Jon Levine said.

MariMed operates in multiple U.S. states and it focuses on medical cannabis. If the company’s medical operations qualify under Schedule III, that would make normal business expenses deductible, lower the federal tax burden, improve free cash flow and result in an uptick in earnings without selling more cannabis.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, MariMed reported revenue of $39.5 million, representing an increase from $37.9 million in the corresponding quarter of fiscal 2025. Adjusted EBITDA came in at $3.6 million from $2.5 million adjusted EBITDA gain in the prior year’s period. The company improved its adjusted EBITDA margin to 9% from 7%. It has also narrowed its net loss to $3.8 million from $5.5 million.

MRMD Price Action

MariMed’s shares traded 4.29% higher at $0.073 per share at the time of writing on Friday.

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Jelena Martinovic
June 27, 2026
Covers cannabis news, markets and regulation for IgniteIt. Previously wrote about financial markets for Benzinga and Insider Monkey.
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