With a stroke of his pen on Wednesday, Governor McKee signed the bill that dramatically changes the landscape for marijuana cultivation, possession, sale and use in Rhode Island. Many of the changes are effective immediately....more
After several years of fits and starts, Rhode Island is finally poised to pass a substantive cannabis legalization bill as soon as next week. An amended version of the previously-proposed cannabis bill is now on the fast...more
Rhode Island House Speaker Joe Shekarchi seems to think so. While he has been quoted in local media saying that while the legislature is “still not there” on a final product, he is at least ready to say that “we’ve worked...more
The future of nearly two dozen pre-approved companies seeking medical cannabis dispensary licenses in five of Rhode Island’s six geographic zones will be decided on Friday, October 29. The license hopefuls submitted...more
Workers at Solar Therapeutics, a cannabis dispensary in Somerset, Massachusetts, voted last week to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (“UFCW”) union, after Solar Therapeutics’ management declined to voluntarily...more
Green Thumb Industries (“Green Thumb”) has announced that it has closed a deal to acquire one of only three existing medical cannabis dispensaries in Rhode Island, further expanding the Chicago-based company’s substantial...more
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court denied review of a case out of Colorado dealing with a medical marijuana dispensary’s challenge to a tax code provision. After denying review, Justice Thomas—one of the Court’s most...more
7/30/2021
/ Controlled Substances ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Interstate Commerce ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Recreational Use ,
Tax Code
On Tuesday, June 22, Rhode Island took a major step towards legalization of marijuana. Although House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi still says legalization won't be decided until after the budget process ends (perhaps even...more
This month, two congressional Republican lawmakers introduced a bill to legalize marijuana at the federal level, as well as to protect banks that service state-legal cannabis businesses and to ensure that military veterans...more
5/27/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Medical Research ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
Scientific Research ,
Small Business ,
Tenth Amendment ,
TTB ,
Veterans ,
Veterans Administration
It appears that political support for legalizing recreational cannabis in Rhode Island may finally be reaching a critical mass. The details of how Rhode Island might go about legalizing recreational cannabis—and not whether...more
4/27/2021
/ Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Excise Tax ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Recreational Use ,
Sales Tax ,
State and Local Government
A renewed effort to give the cannabis industry safe access to financial institutions and services returned to Washington last week, as the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House of...more
One of the most frustrating issues facing the US’s burgeoning cannabis industry has been the inequitable tax treatment that cannabis businesses face as compared to other industries. The IRS’s guidance for one section of the...more
2/22/2021
/ Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances ,
Dispensaries ,
Income Taxes ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Tax Court ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Returns
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on January 19, 2021 published its finalized federal regulations governing the cultivation of hemp. This comes two years after the crop was legalized at the federal level through the...more
While some states’ ongoing efforts to legalize cannabis via voter referendums have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of states will still be presenting the voters with questions regarding legalization of...more
Regulations governing the issuance of certain marijuana-related state licenses in Rhode Island do not require that applicants have specific municipal approvals but do require evidence of compliance with local zoning laws....more
Across New England, armchair attorneys and quarterbacks alike are talking spoliation, discovery, and cell phones.
With National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell’s announcement of his decision on New England...more
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (the “SJC”) recently decided that two mortgage foreclosure ordinances adopted by the City of Springfield were preempted by existing state law. In Easthampton Savings Bank v. City of...more
The American Society for Testing and Materials ("ASTM") standard for Environmental Assessments was revised in 2013 for the first time since 2005. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has now adopted the updated...more