The past several weeks (May 11-27, 2025) saw a surge of activity targeting intoxicating consumable hemp products, as states move to enact new regulations. These are the latest developments in the field of consumable hemp...more
5/29/2025
/ Cannabis Products ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Government Agencies ,
Hemp ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Attorneys General ,
State Legislatures ,
THC
As discussed in multiple Cannabis Control Commission (“Commission”) meetings over the past several months, the Commission has finally moved to intervene in a pending Superior Court case – Theory Wellness, Inc. et al. v. Town...more
With DEA’s marijuana rescheduling hearing now delayed indefinitely, the most promising prospect for meaningful cannabis reform may lie in the hands of Congress. Seemingly undeterred by the strong headwinds that have scuttled...more
5/22/2025
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
DEA ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Government Agencies ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform
Although the prospect of an expanded recreational market has been on the horizon since 2022 when Rhode Island legalized recreational cannabis, Ocean State residents continue to endure limited access to such products, which...more
5/6/2025
/ Cannabis Products ,
Dispensaries ,
Fees ,
Filing Requirements ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government
The radiant Arizona sun may soon be setting for unlicensed consumable hemp product retailers who have benefitted from sporadic and inconsistent enforcement. Indeed, a recent letter from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes...more
Perhaps recognizing an enforcement gap in the evolving struggle to protect consumers from what Governor Newsom has characterized as a grave threat to public health and safety, the California legislature is taking steps to...more
3/19/2025
/ California ,
Cannabis Products ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Enforcement ,
Farm Bill ,
Hemp ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Online Marketplace ,
Online Platforms ,
Senate Judiciary Committee ,
Social Media ,
State and Local Government ,
THC
Is this the year that Pennsylvania finally legalizes adult-use cannabis? While some battle-scarred skeptics remain, there is fresh optimism in the Commonwealth with both the Governor and several key legislators pushing for...more
2/18/2025
/ Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Social Equity Programs ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets
We are now less than one week away from the long-awaited commencement of Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis business licensing round and prospective applicants are earnestly preparing to file business license applications as...more
2/13/2025
/ Agribusiness ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Filing Requirements ,
License Applications ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Social Equity Programs
At the end of last year, it seemed like Tennessee’s final hemp-derived cannabinoid (“HDC”) rules would (finally) take effect as scheduled on December 26, 2024. As we discussed in an earlier blog post, since 2023 when the...more
1/28/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Cannabis Products ,
Final Rules ,
Hemp ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
State and Local Government ,
Tennessee ,
THC
As expected, before the end of session, Congress authorized another 1-year extension of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the “2018 Farm Bill”), which had already been extended for one year beyond its initial...more
1/6/2025
/ Agribusiness ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Farm Bill ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Regulatory Agenda
In the wake of a prior statement disavowing a schedule that had been widely circulated and purported to outline the Office of Cannabis Regulation’s (“OCR”) timeline for opening cannabis license applications, on December 16,...more
12/20/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Doing Business ,
License Applications ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail Market ,
State and Local Government
After months of uncertainty and what Administrative Law Judge John J. Mulrooney called “spirited motion practice by the Designated Participants,” we finally have some clarity on the path forward toward the potential...more
After an objectively troubled launch that spurred litigation, Tennessee’s permanent hemp-derived cannabinoid licensing regulations are finally set to take effect at the end of this month. This would mark the culmination of a...more
12/5/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
State and Local Government
The long-awaited Senate version of the Farm Bill was finally released earlier this week as the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and Committee Chair Senator Debbie Stabenow introduced the Rural...more
In perhaps his most controversial cabinet appointment yet, earlier today, President-elect Trump said he would nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as U.S. Attorney General. Although Gaetz’s nomination was met with skepticism by...more
11/14/2024
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
DEA ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Donald Trump ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Florida ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Presidential Elections ,
Recreation ,
SAFE ,
U.S. House
In a decision that reads as one of the strongest endorsements of state-based intoxicating hemp regulatory controls in recent memory, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (“Court”) recently upheld, in part,...more
With certain hemp operators and trade groups enjoying varying degrees of success challenging new state laws and regulations governing intoxicating hemp products, copycat lawsuits are being filed around the country, including,...more
10/24/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Farm Bill ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Louisiana ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
State and Local Government
As we discussed during a recent webinar, the new emergency regulations would disrupt the existing hemp market in California and effectively ban the production and sale of all intoxicating hemp products in the state. ...more
10/11/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
California ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Due Process ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
New Regulations ,
Plant Based Products ,
Public Health ,
Recreational Use ,
State and Local Government ,
State Bans
With the persisting uncertainty surrounding the next iteration of the Farm Bill and its treatment of hemp-derived consumable products, perhaps it should come as no surprise that legislators on Capitol Hill have proposed...more
9/27/2024
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Enforcement ,
Farm Bill ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hemp ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
Delaware is set to commence its adult-use cannabis industry through a license application period that opens on September 1, 2024, and closes on September 30, 2024. Importantly, Delaware does permit vertical integration and...more
As expected, today the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis’ online application portal went live. The office is now accepting applications for cannabis business licenses through the online portal, which will remain open until...more
7/2/2024
/ Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
License Applications ,
Licenses ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government
As the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (“Cabinet”) gears up to begin accepting cannabis business license applications as early as July 1, 2024, industry stakeholders are keeping a watchful eye on several...more
On June 20, 2024, H.B. 563 passed second reading in the North Carolina Senate by a vote of 33-9. Two additional amendments were considered and adopted prior to the floor vote.
One adopted amendment, proposed by Senator...more
In what was ostensibly a bill to impose restrictions on intoxicating hemp products, the North Carolina legislature has revived its previous efforts to authorize medical marijuana consumption and sales within the state....more
In a case followed by many, a CCC-licensed marijuana retailer has recovered over a million dollars in community impact fees under its Host Community Agreement (“HCA”) with the Town of Uxbridge (“Town”). In April of 2022,...more