Village Farms International Comments on Delayed Cannabis Rescheduling Process

• The company condemns the agency’s wrongdoing and commends the judge for his harsh criticism of government officials
• CEO Michael DeGiglio affirms the company’s commitment to fight for reform; calls on Trump administration to correct past failures

[PRESS RELEASE] – ORLANDO, Fla., and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 14, 2025 –Village Farms International Inc. issued a series of statements in response to delays in the marijuana rescheduling process resulting from its ongoing litigation against the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The company’s comments follow orders from the administrative law judge (ALJ) on Jan. 13, 2025, which granted a request for leave to file an interlocutory appeal and referred to various DEA behavior and alleged misconduct as “unprecedented,” “astonishing,” “embarrassing,” and “demonstrate[ing] a puzzling and grotesque lack of understanding and poor judgment from high-level officials at a major federal agency.”

Michael DeGiglio, retired U.S. Navy captain, naval aviator and president, CEO and founder of Village Farms said, “We view the outcome of this past week’s proceedings as an imperative step in this administrative process and a symbolic victory against a conflicted government agency, which we believe has no current intention of recommending that cannabis be transferred to a Schedule III designation. We were given a voice in these proceedings through our selection as the only cannabis operator participant, and we intend to do everything we can to use that voice to fight for a fair and honest process with a successful outcome and to help right the wrongdoings of decades of government corruption, bureaucracy, and the failed war on drugs.

“We commend the ALJ for harsh criticism of the DEA’s defiance of this process and misconduct, which underscores our view that these proceedings are severely flawed due to the DEA’s conflicted role. A majority of Americans support legalization; millions of Americans from all walks of life increasingly rely on medical and recreational cannabis for therapeutic benefits and as substitutes for opioids and alcohol; and the scientific, medical, and civic research of cannabis conducted to date is overwhelmingly positive.

“The fact that the interests in health and safety of Americans continue to get steamrolled by prohibitionist efforts and competing interests is shameful and disgraceful. Our company condemns this behavior unequivocally, and we implore the Trump administration to put a swift end to it and correct the failures of past leadership. Our constitution commences with ‘We the People’ and it’s time the federal government adhere to the will of the people and enact meaningful cannabis reform.”