California’s Department of Public Health is pushing a new rule — and the timing couldn’t be worse.

A proposed regulation, known as DPH-24-005, would dramatically restrict access to hemp-derived wellness products across the state. The rule aims to prohibit the sale of any hemp topical, capsule, or tincture with more than trace amounts of THC (including naturally occurring Delta-9), even if federally legal and non-intoxicating. Critics say it would wipe out entire categories of hemp products — from calming balms to sleep aids — and gut small, community-driven businesses in the process.

One of the most vocal opponents? The Sisters of the Valley — better known as the “Weed Nuns” — a group of spiritual, feminist cannabis growers based in Merced County.

A Ban That Hits Small Operators Hard

“The only hemp products that would remain legal are sodas, gummies, and vapes,” the Sisters warn. “This is a corporate-designed policy to eliminate wellness products and favor big beverage brands.”

According to the Sisters, the rule would criminalize their signature offerings: non-intoxicating, CBD-rich salves and oils crafted by hand in their small-scale, women-run operation. They argue that DPH-24-005 threatens not just their livelihood, but also consumer access to safe, plant-based alternatives.

They’re not alone. Dozens of California hemp farmers, herbalists, and activists are mobilizing to oppose the measure, saying it caters to the interests of cannabis corporations looking to eliminate competition from the hemp side of the market.

A Moment to Speak Out

A public hearing on the rule will be held via Zoom on Sunday, July 28, 2025, at 10:00 AM Pacific. Anyone in California — and beyond — can participate, and written comments will be accepted until July 30.

The Sisters have launched a campaign urging Californians to show up, speak out, and submit public comments before it’s too late.

“We ask our customers and fans to stand with us,” they wrote. “Not because we need more sales. But because the people’s medicine should not be outlawed by corporate lobbying.”

Why It Matters

This isn’t just a niche regulatory scuffle. It’s a high-stakes fight over who gets to define “legal” hemp, who can profit from plant medicine, and whether small, spiritual, and female-led businesses have a place in California’s post-legalization cannabis landscape.

The Sisters, with their white habits, sacred ceremonies, and international following, are perhaps the most visible symbols of resistance. But the implications go far beyond their farm.

“This rule would hurt veterans, seniors, and working-class people who rely on affordable hemp-based wellness products,” their statement reads. “We’ve already made cannabis less accessible. Now they want to do the same with hemp.”

As the July 28 hearing approaches, the Sisters are calling on California residents — and allies across the country — to make their voices heard.

How to Take Action

• Join the Public Hearing (July 28, 10:00 AM PT via Zoom): [Link to be added once public]
• Submit Written Comments by July 30: Email regulation@cdph.ca.gov with the subject line “Comment on DPH-24-005”

High Times will continue to cover grassroots resistance to regulatory overreach — especially when it threatens access, equity, and the spirit of the plant. Stay tuned.

Note: This article is based on public documents and statements from the Sisters of the Valley. The public comment period for DPH-24-005 remains open. We encourage readers to review the full proposal and submit comments directly to California’s Department of Public Health.

An international survey of thousands of eating disorder patients found that respondents rated cannabis and psychedelics, including psilocybin and LSD, as the most effective non-prescription drugs for treating their symptoms.

The survey, conducted by University of Sydney researchers and published in JAMA Network Open, found that typical prescription drugs like antidepressants were not well-regarded by respondents. Additionally, respondents said the worst non-prescribed substances for treating their symptoms included alcohol, nicotine, and cocaine, although they are still widely used.

“Our results provide important insights into the lived experiences of people with eating disorders and their drug use, highlighting promising avenues for future research into treatments,” the lead researcher, Sarah-Catherine Rodan, a PhD student at the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, said in a press release.

“This research suggests that cannabis and psychedelics hold significant promise for improving quality of life in individuals suffering eating disorders. This is particularly salient since current pharmacological options for these patients are severely limited and current treatment outcomes so disappointing. Of course, rigorous clinical trials are needed to confirm these benefits and better determine safety profiles.” — Professor Iain McGregor, the paper’s senior author and Academic Director of the Lambert Initiative, in a statement

The survey targeted 7,600 individuals across 83 countries. About two-thirds of the respondents were formally diagnosed with an eating disorder; the others “self-reported an eating disorder that caused distress.” Additionally, all major eating disorders were represented in the study, the researchers said, including anorexia nervosa (40%), bulimia nervosa (19%), binge-eating disorder (11%), and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) (9%).

“I hope this study gives a voice to people living with eating disorders, revealing that their often-stigmatised experiences with drugs might in fact have therapeutic potential,” Rodan said.

The governor of Kentucky is calling on President Donald Trump to reject congressional spending bill provisions that would prevent the Justice Department from rescheduling marijuana.

In a letter sent to Trump this week, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) emphasized that a pending proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is something “you supported in your presidential campaign.”

“That process should be allowed to play out. Americans deserve leadership that won’t move the goalposts on them in the middle of the game,” Beshear said, noting that he was among the tens of thousands who submitted public comments in favor of the reform after it was initiated under the Biden administration, “demonstrating broad public interest in rescheduling.”

“I joined that effort because this is about helping people. Rescheduling would provide suffering patients the relief they need,” the governor said. “It would ensure communities are safer—because legal medical products reduce the illicit market. It would provide new, meaningful research on health benefits.”

Beshear also mentioned a letter to DEA he signed onto last year urging rescheduling, “because the jury is no longer out on marijuana. It has medical benefits.”

Rescheduling “is just common sense,” the governor said. “Over 40 states now have medical marijuana programs. Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly agree on this issue, including in Kentucky, where you won a vast majority of the vote in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and where a Republican supermajority passed legislation legalizing medical marijuana in 2023—legislation that I signed into law. The federal government has fallen far behind on this issue and finally needs to catch up.”

He referenced a September 2024 comment from Trump where the then-candidate said that, under his administration, “we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws.”

“Now, it is time to make good on your promises to the American people.”

Referencing language included in a House committee-approved bill that would bar DOJ from rescheduling cannabis, Beshear said “this is not a common-sense law.”

“It stops a process that is already underway to accomplish a policy end that is overwhelmingly supported by the medical and scientific communities as well as the American people of every political party,” he said. “Congress should not take the decision-making process out of the hands of medical and scientific experts when they don’t like the results.”

“I hope that your action on this issue matches the promises you made to the American people to support rescheduling and work with Congress to ensure laws passed are truly ‘common sense,’” the governor said. “Again, I urge you to oppose the House Appropriations Committee’s proposed language to block the DEA from rescheduling marijuana.”

Here’s the text of the provision Beshear is asking the president to oppose: 

“SEC. 607. None of the funds appropriated or other wise made available by this Act may be used to reschedule marijuana (as such term is defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) or to remove marijuana from the schedules established under section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812).”

Regardless of the appropriations bill, the rescheduling process is currently sitting in limbo—especially since the DEA judge overseeing the process has now announced he’ll be retiring at the end of the month, leaving the issue to newly confirmed DEA Administrator Terrance Cole.

Notably, while Cole has said that examining the rescheduling proposal would be “one of my first priorities” if he was confirmed for the role, he has refused to say what he wants the result to be and has in the past made comments expressing concerns about the health effects of cannabis.

In May, a Senate committee advanced the nomination of Cole to become DEA administrator amid the ongoing review of the marijuana rescheduling proposal that he has so far refused to commit to enacting.

Cole—who has previously voiced concerns about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk among youth—said in response to senators’ written questions that he would “give the matter careful consideration after consulting with appropriate personnel within the Drug Enforcement Administration, familiarizing myself with the current status of the regulatory process, and reviewing all relevant information.”

Meanwhile, earlier this month, DEA again notified DEA Administrative Law Judge John Mulrooney that the marijuana rescheduling process remains stalled under the Trump administration.

It’s been six months since Mulrooney temporarily paused hearings on a proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the CSA that was initiated under the Biden administration. And in a joint report to the judge submitted on Monday, DEA attorneys and rescheduling proponents said they’re still at an impasse.

Beshear, meanwhile, has been focused on state-level cannabis reform developments over recent years.

He recently touted “another milestone” in the state’s forthcoming medical marijuana program, with a licensed cultivator producing “the first medical cannabis inventory in Kentucky history.”

The governor previewed the development late last month, stating that he expected to see medical marijuana growers “putting seed in the ground really soon,” while projecting that patients will have access to cannabis before the year’s end.