VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LEEF Brands, Inc. (CSE: LEEF) (OTCQB: LEEEF) (“LEEF” or the “Company”), a rapidly growing cannabis company, today announced that it has filed applications for registration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) following recent federal cannabis rescheduling developments.

The applications are a key step in positioning LEEF to participate in potential interstate commerce and international export channels as regulatory frameworks evolve. To support this process, LEEF has engaged attorney Shane Pennington, Partner at Blank Rome, and a leading expert in DEA licensing and regulatory strategy.

“Rescheduling is the most significant change our industry has seen in over 50 years,” said Micah Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of LEEF Brands. “We’ve spent years building a low-cost, vertically integrated platform designed for this moment. For the first time in this industry’s history, federal policy is moving in a direction that makes what we do more valuable, not less.”

LEEF is currently profitable operating in California — one of the most competitive and lowest-priced cannabis markets in the world — driven by its vertically integrated model and in-house cultivation at Salisbury Canyon Ranch. Interstate and global exports are expected to provide an opportunity to sell into other markets at meaningfully higher prices.

LEEF’s platform includes one of the world’s largest cannabis farms and one of the highest-capacity, most sophisticated extraction labs. The Company believes this platform positions it to supply both the U.S. and global markets. While regulatory timelines remain uncertain, LEEF is actively preparing to participate as opportunities emerge.

About LEEF Brands, Inc.
LEEF Brands, Inc. is a leading California and New York-based extraction and manufacturing cannabis company. With a comprehensive supply chain, innovative manufacturing processes, a dynamic bulk concentrate portfolio, and a growing line of branded products, LEEF powers some of the largest cannabis brands in the United States. For more information, visit www.leefbrands.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, as defined in applicable securities laws (collectively, “forward-looking statements”), including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Company’s future financial condition, operations, and objectives.

Forward-looking statements reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events or the Company’s future performance or financial results. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “continues”, “forecasts”, “projects”, “predicts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “targets” or “believes”, or variations of, or the negatives of, such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “should”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. All forward-looking statements, including those herein, are qualified by this cautionary statement.

Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the statements.

There are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking information, including, but not limited to, the risks disclosed in the Company’s public filings on the Company’s issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

LEEF Brands, Inc.
Per: Jesse Redmond
Chief Strategy & Investor Relations Officer
Phone: +1 (805) 717-9327
Email: ir@leefca.com