Article by: Partner Christopher Parrington In 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana. Sixteen years later, Colorado and Washington legalized recreational cannabis. The industry has since exploded. To date, 19 states have legalized recreational cannabis. Eighteen states have legalized medical marijuana, and 10 states have legalized cannabidiol (CBD) or low-THC cannabis. In…
Article by: Counsel Raza Lawrence On October 6, President Joe Biden announced that he will be issuing pardons to everyone who has been convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana in federal courts. At the same time, President Biden directed Xavier Becarra, the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, along with the Attorney…
By: Counsel Raza Lawrence The cannabis industry is gradually becoming more widely accepted in America and starting to feel more like a normal part of the economy. For decades, cannabis was bought and sold outside the law. In the illicit market, norms and standards developed organically and were enforced not in the courts, but…
By: Counsel Raza Lawrence In New State Ice Co. v. Liebmann, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis in 1932 referred to the 50 states as laboratories of democracy, writing: It is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single courageous State may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory…
By: Counsel James Raza Lawrence California recently provided a jolt to its cannabis industry by eliminating its cannabis cultivation tax, effective July 1, 2022. The cultivation tax has, for years, created a drag on California’s licensed cannabis market and caused many businesses to continue operating in the illicit, unlicensed market. Given that the cannabis…
By: Counsel Tomas Ortiz As businesses struggle through the rough currents of today’s economy, inflation, and post-pandemic conditions, many are considering and reconsidering their options in navigating through the rough seas and rocky shores – how to survive and stay in business or how to exit gracefully and effectively. This is particularly true in…
By: Partner Janet Jackim Randomized Drawing to the Select Few. On April, 8 2022 the Arizona Department of Health Services conducted a digital lottery on approximately 1,500 applications to award 26 adult use only marijuana dispensary licenses. The drawing did not disappoint several regional and multi-state operators who had partnered with sometimes hundreds of…
By: Counsel Tomas Ortiz Almost four years after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, California is taking another significant step toward regulating hemp-derived CBD. Legislative efforts to regulate CBD in California have failed, until last year, when the state finally passed Assembly Bill – 45, which allowed for the inclusion of hemp and…
By: Associate Michael A. Carlin Complying with California’s regulations related to cannabis businesses can be challenging. However, it is important to keep in mind that compliance with the Department of Cannabis Control is only one aspect of the requirements imposed by California state law. Overlooking compliance with California’s labor code can result in cannabis businesses…
By: Counsel Jonathan Purow It is an exciting time in New York, as there is finally momentum towards the first sales in the adult-use cannabis market. Just weeks after Governor Hochul signed a bill to permit qualified hemp farmers to start growing the first batch of adult-use cannabis, the Cannabis Control Board has released…
