Mitigating and Addressing Litigation Risks for Cannabis Businesses
Cannabis M&A: Pain Points and Opportunities
Managing Labor and Employment Complexities in Cannabis Businesses
Work This Way: A Labor & Employment Law Podcast - Episode 29: Weed in the Workplace with Christy Rogers of Maynard Nexsen
Intellectual property considerations for launching new cannabis products
Unpacking the current cannabis regulatory landscape and how it impacts your business
Managing Employee Compliance in Highly Regulated Industries — Hiring to Firing Podcast
If Cannabis Is Reclassified, What Will Happen to the Marketplace? – Diagnosing Health Care
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: What’s Next for Schedule III Marijuana
Podcast - DEA Plants the Seed for Rescheduling Marijuana: What's Next?
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: How Florida Will Change the National Cannabis Landscape Through Amendment 3
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Special Edition | Episode 36 - Rolling Change: The DEA Turns Over a New Leaf on Marijuana Scheduling
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: Farmers First According to Humboldt Trim Company
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: THC Infused Beverages: Cantrip's Journey Through the Hemp-Derived Looking Glass
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: Cannabis Investing in the U.S. - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: Catalyst Cannabis Takes on the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration Over Cannabis Excise Taxes
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: Cannabis Banking from the Inside: An Interview with Salal Credit Union
(Podcast) California Employment News: Expanded Workplace Protections Regarding Cannabis Use
California Employment News: Expanded Workplace Protections Regarding Cannabis Use
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: The ‘CannaBoies' Lawsuit and Why it Matters
On May 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a plan to reschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) from a schedule I to a schedule III controlled substance. The Attorney General and the...more
The Department of Justice’s move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, on which it began formal proceedings on May 16, won’t legalize state-level adult use and medical marijuana unless it’s produced, sold, and...more
On May 16, 2024, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released the proposed rule (Proposed Rule) to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The Office of Legal...more
For financial institutions who engage in marijuana-related banking services, the primary compliance challenge remains the disconnect between federal and state law, as it is still illegal to manufacture, distribute, or...more
As we pass the halfway mark of 2022, it's a good time to reflect on what has happened, or not happened, with respect to the legal framework for the provision of financial services to marijuana-related businesses...more
President Trump piqued the interest of participants in and observers of the marijuana industry when he stated in early June that he would “probably” support recently proposed bipartisan legislation aimed at removing the...more
ON OCTOBER 2, 2012, kidnappers robbed and abducted a marijuana dispensary owner from his Newport Beach home. They then drove him to the Mojave Desert where they tortured him and demanded that he reveal where he had buried his...more
In the fast-growing legalized cannabis industry, one of the major obstacles for businesses has been—and continues to be—access to banking services. Because cannabis remains a Schedule I drug and unlawful at the federal level...more
Since 1996, when California became the first state to legalize marijuana (at the time, for medicinal purposes only), 28 additional states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana to some extent. Public support...more
On February 9, 2018, funding was restored to the federal government through March 23, 2018. The spending legislation is significant for the cannabis industry for two reasons. First, the budget deal extends the...more
Banks face even greater risks and are likely to back away from marijuana-related businesses after the U.S. Attorney General changed the federal government’s stance on legalized pot....more
On January 4, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Obama-era protection that has allowed the cannabis industry to flourish despite marijuana being illegal under federal law. In 2013, then-Deputy Attorney General James...more
Reuters is reporting today that the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) was caught off guard by Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ announcement last week that the Justice Department was reversing...more
On January 4, 2018, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions officially rescinded all of the prior Obama-era Department of Justice (DOJ) marijuana-related guidance, including the so-called “Cole Memo.” That guidance had provided...more
On January 4, 2018, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded, effective immediately, previous enforcement priorities of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on marijuana, including the Cole Memo. The move creates uncertainty...more
Attorney General Sessions rescinded, effective January 4, 2018, previous enforcement priorities of the DOJ related to marijuana – including the Cole Memo. The Sessions Memo dictates that federal prosecutors should follow the...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today issued a memorandum in which it rescinded guidance issued during the Obama Administration related to the enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act, and related money laundering...more
Attorney General Sessions Announces Rescission of Obama Administration Policies on Marijuana Enforcement; Financial Institutions Lose Grounds to Permit Financial Transactions with Marijuana Businesses....more
The October 27, 2017 indictments of Paul Manafort and Richard Gates have put money laundering in the spotlight. Much of the press coverage and commentary on the indictments focused on the charge of money laundering...more
Investment advisors and broker-dealers ask more and more whether they can safely provide investment services to prospective customers in the marijuana industry. The answer is still that there is a risk of liability under...more
Part Two of a Three-Part Series - In the second part of this series, we explore the practical effects of the FinCEN and DOJ guidance documents on industries attempting to serve marijuana related business (“MRBs”). On June...more
Part One of a Three-Part Series - We begin this week with a three-part series on banking and the marijuana industry. States continue to pass medical and recreational use marijuana legislation despite that the fact that the...more
The 2016 election will be remembered not only for the memorable presidential race but also for what was effectively a national referendum on cannabis. Eight states passed laws allowing its use. Medical marijuana is now...more
Colorado, which was the first state to legalize the possession, production and sale of recreational marijuana, has now become the first state to establish a financial system for the marijuana industry. On May 7th, the...more
On February 14, 2014, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued guidance aimed at clarifying Bank Secrecy Act expectations for financial institutions interested in providing services to marijuana-related...more