As the 2024 Minnesota Legislative Session came to a chaotic close on May 20, numerous changes to Minnesota Statutes Chapter 342 were sent to the Governor’s desk to build on the already existing cannabis regulatory structure....more
6/25/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Governor Walz ,
Inspections ,
License Applications ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Product Labels ,
Product Packaging ,
Product Recalls ,
Social Equity Programs ,
State Legislatures
The biggest legal shift in the cannabis industry in decades just occurred on the heels of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposal for cannabis rescheduling. Specifically, as many anticipated, the DEA will...more
5/1/2024
/ Controlled Substances Act ,
DEA ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
OMB ,
Popular ,
Recreational Use
On October 6, 2022, President Biden made a statement in which he asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Attorney General to review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. In his statement, the...more
Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended to the Drug Enforcement Administration that cannabis be rescheduled on the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) from a I to a III. At the same time, the SAFER...more
10/30/2023
/ Cannabis Products ,
Commerce Clause ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Interstate Commerce ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
SCOTUS
After months of anticipation, the New York State Office of Cannabis Management began accepting applications for five (5) types of licenses this week: cultivator, processor, distributor, and microbusiness. This is generally...more
10/9/2023
/ Agribusiness ,
Business Licenses ,
Dispensaries ,
Farmers ,
General-Business ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA) ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Minority-Owned Businesses ,
New York ,
Retailers ,
Women-Owned Businesses
Mastercard sent cease and desist letters to payment processors and banks last week. These letters demanded certain financial service providers to stop allowing marijuana transactions on MasterCard debit cards....more
The 2022 Midterm Election revealed a mixed bag of results regarding the legalization of adult use (recreational) marijuana: voters in Maryland and Missouri approved adult-use legalization measures whereas voters in Arkansas,...more
The Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (the “Act”) was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo on March 31, 2021. Not only does the Act create the foundation for the adult-use marijuana program, it contains sweeping changes...more
5/26/2021
/ Governor Cuomo ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA) ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Minority-Owned Businesses ,
New York ,
Recreational Use ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Revenues ,
THC ,
Women-Owned Businesses
Delta-8 has been the topic of many conversations over the last year in various cannabis circles. Is it legal? How will hemp-derived Delta-8 THC impact the state-legal marijuana industry? How is Delta-8 THC extracted from...more
Earlier this year the City of Denver Department of Excise and Licenses created the Marijuana Licensing Work Group (the “MLWG”). This week the MLWG released draft legislation regarding a continued license cap, licensing...more
On Friday, December 4, 2020 the US House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 (the “MORE Act”), which would effectively legalize cannabis by removing marijuana from the...more
As a historic election here in the United States unfolds beyond Election Day, one thing is certain – marijuana continues to win – and win decisively. While notable races in several states and counties were too close to call...more
On August 20, 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) published an Interim Final Rule on industrial hemp and hemp derivatives (the “Interim Rule”), which immediately went into effect, to conform DEA regulations with...more
Disclaimer: Below is a state-wide analysis of the current legal environment for the cannabis industry in light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis highlights the ability of both medical and retail marijuana...more
The below discussion is an analysis of the current legal environment related to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis highlights the ability of both medical and retail businesses to continue operating in light of...more
On March 17, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) issued a public health order to close bars, restaurants, gyms, theaters and casinos for 30 days in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19...more
President Trump is back at it again with his most recent inconsistent stance on marijuana. “As part of his recently released fiscal year 2021 budget plan, Trump proposed ending an existing policy that protects state medical...more
Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act-
In May 2019, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (the “Act”). With the Act’s passage, Illinois became the first state legislature to pass a bill that...more
On May 28, 2019, the United States Department of Agriculture (the “USDA”) and the Office of the General Counsel (the “GC”) issued a legal opinion on the status of hemp following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. The opinion...more
On Wednesday, April 3, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to hold a meeting to discuss its regulatory approach to products that contain cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds, including...more
The State of Colorado has taken a major step towards opening its marijuana industry to outside investment in what could be a transformative piece of legislation.
On Monday, March 4, bipartisan legislation unanimously passed...more
After a lengthy compromise process, The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) was passed by Congress and delivered to the White House for the President to sign. The 2018 Farm Bill will replace the...more
Ballotpedia.com maintains a database of local ballot measures extending back to the beginning of the century. According to the website, there have been 164 cannabis-related local ballot measures in California since 2000....more
“U.S.-listed shares of Canada-based Canopy Growth Corp. soared almost 30% Wednesday, after liquor seller Constellation Brands Inc. said it will invest another CAD $5 billion, or about $4 billion, in the diversified cannabis...more
Tilray became the first US IPO on Nasdaq on July 19th. The company priced 9 million shares at $17 apiece and by the end of the day, closing at $22.39, a jump of slightly more than 32 percent on day one....more