Cue the Ron Paul “It’s Happening” gif and shout it from the rooftops: DEA will reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, per a report from the AP. The United States federal...more
As we’ve noted before, Tennessee is likely to be the last Deep South state to legalize medical cannabis. But given the pace at which states have legalized (38 states plus the District of Columbia), last doesn’t necessarily...more
11/9/2023
/ Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Tennessee
According to a report from Bloomberg News, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is officially recommending to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) that marijuana be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III...more
While it appears likely that Tennessee will be the last Deep South state to legalize medical cannabis (as we wrote about here), it has always been a favorable state for the hemp industry. The Tennessee Legislature just came...more
Welcome to the latest installment of the Editors’ Roundtable, in which our editors – Whitt Steineker, Jay Wright, Hunter Robinson, and Slates Veazey – discuss cannabis issues in the news and take a stab at where the cannabis...more
4/4/2023
/ Amended Legislation ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
DEA ,
Farm Bill ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
THC
Last week, we wrote about the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) February 13, 2023 response letter stating that delta-8 THCO and delta-9 THCO – two forms of THC acetate ester (THCO) – are illegal controlled substances...more
Cannabis has long been a source of inspiration for musicians like Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr. Outlaws like Willie and Hank paved the way for the next generation of country artists to sing their cannabis praises. Margo...more
Ah, South Carolina. Its siren song has tempted cannabis advocates for years with its diversity – political, geographic, geologic, and otherwise. But to date, nada.
That may change soon, as the South Carolina Compassionate...more
We have long suspected that North Carolina may be the next great cannabis market. In describing North Carolina as “the sleeping giant of the South,” we wrote recently:
From Murphy to Manteo, North Carolina is a state that...more
1/26/2023
/ Cannabis Products ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
North Carolina ,
Patients ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
Suppliers
FDA warning letters are nothing new in the cannabis industry. In fact, we here at Budding Trends have covered this topic a number of times (here, here, and here). Not resigned to playing the hits, however, the FDA issued a...more
12/13/2022
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Enforcement ,
Farm Bill ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Marketing ,
State and Local Government ,
Warning Letters
Welcome to the third installment of the Editors’ Roundtable, in which our editors – Whitt Steineker, Jay Wright, Hunter Robinson, and Slates Veazey – discuss cannabis issues in the news and take a stab at where the cannabis...more
Yesterday, President Joe Biden made two historic announcements which he described as steps to “end” the federal government’s “failed approach” to marijuana. First, he is issuing mass pardons for federal convictions of simple...more
10/7/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Cannabis Products ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Deregulation ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Presidential Pardons ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Wrongful Conviction
Welcome to the second installment of the Editors’ Roundtable, in which our editors – Whitt Steineker, Jay Wright, Hunter Robinson, and Slates Veazey – discuss cannabis issues in the news and take a stab at where the cannabis...more
10/5/2022
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State and Local Government
The changes in the cannabis industry in Southeastern United States represent some of the most surprising and remarkable changes in the history of the industry...
Originally published by Bloomberg Law....more
9/15/2022
/ Alabama ,
Arkansas ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Florida ,
Georgia ,
Louisiana ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
North Carolina ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Tennessee
This is the first in what we hope will be a regular feature where our editors – Whitt Steineker, Jay Wright, Hunter Robinson, and Slates Veazey – discuss cannabis issues in the news and take a stab at where the cannabis...more
One of the largest headwinds facing the cannabis industry is the lack of access to banking services. Many financial institutions refuse to serve the multibillion-dollar cannabis industry given the regulatory uncertainty...more
6/22/2022
/ Banking Regulators ,
BSA/AML ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Popular ,
SAFE Act ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)
When Neil Young wrote that “Southern change gonna come at last,” he wasn’t talking about cannabis— but he might as well have been in light of the recent and extraordinary developments in the cannabis industry in the southern...more
5/16/2022
/ Agribusiness ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Dispensaries ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
Only days ago, we discussed the prospects for cannabis reform in Tennessee. And lawmakers are already pushing such reform in the early days of this legislative session.
On the hemp front, Rep. Chris Hurt filed House Bill...more
In 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis. Since then, 36 states (and four U.S. territories) have followed suit, keeping pace with rapidly evolving policies and attitudes toward cannabis. In...more
While we enter a new season this week, the same cannot be said for the FDA which, on November 16, reiterated that its approach to regulating the cannabidiol (CBD) industry will be “the same as it ever was”—a regulatory...more
12/1/2021
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dietary Supplements ,
False Advertising ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Labeling ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medical Foods ,
Regulatory Oversight
Texas’s cannabis industry can breathe a momentary sigh of relief. Delta-8 THC, the increasingly popular hemp-derived cannabinoid that produces effects similar to Delta-9 THC, has been removed from Texas’s list of Schedule I...more
11/12/2021
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Controlled Substances ,
Farm Bill ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hemp ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
State and Local Government ,
Texas ,
THC
The SAFE Banking Act passed in the U.S. House of Representatives for the fifth time on September 23, 2021. This landmark legislation would pave the way for more financial institutions to serve the state-legal cannabis...more
Article III standing is one of the most significant rubrics to determine a federal lawsuit’s justiciability. The Supreme Court significantly altered the standing calculus in TransUnion v. Ramirez, 141 S. Ct. 2190 (2021),...more
9/20/2021
/ Article III ,
Class Action ,
Class Members ,
Credit Reporting Agencies ,
Credit Reports ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
TransUnion ,
TransUnion LLC v Ramirez
Despite the cannabis industry’s explosive growth, many financial institutions have been hesitant to transact with cannabis-related businesses given the ambiguity created by divergent state and federal cannabis laws. The SAFE...more
Alabama became the 36th state to allow cannabis for medical use when Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law the Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act on May 17, 2021. The Act establishes a process through which applicants will...more