The cannabis industry in the United States has experienced rapid growth, with an increasing number of states legalizing the use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. As of 2023, nearly half of the U.S....more
Medical marijuana will be on the ballot this November in Mississippi. Initiative 65 proposes to amend the Mississippi Constitution to allow citizens, certified by physicians, to use medical marijuana. For the most part,...more
On September 25, 2019, the US House of Representatives ("House") passed, by a vote of 321 to 103, the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act ("SAFE Banking Act"), bipartisan legislation designed to secure and regulate...more
Maryland first joined the "legal marijuana" party back in 2014, and in June 2017, the Maryland Medical Marijuana Commission licensed the first dispensary. Originally published in Maryland State Bar Association Section of...more
On January 4th, Attorney General Jeff Sessions took a big step backward. He announced that the Department of Justice rescinded the " Cole Memo " and other internal enforcement guidelines, issued under the Obama Administration...more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
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there were an unprecedented number of changes each month in 2017—and if January is any...more
The legal state of marijuana continues to be in flux, potentially creating thorny issues for employers related to drug testing and policy drafting and execution. Though marijuana is illegal under federal law, as of January...more
On January 4, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded Obama-era guidance outlining the federal policy of non-interference with state-run marijuana programs. The Attorney General's actions have rocked the cannabis industry....more
At the beginning of January, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a one-page memorandum rescinding the Obama-era approach to marijuana enforcement, which had largely been “hands-off” on prosecuting marijuana users and...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On January 4, 2018, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions officially rescinded all of the prior Obama-era Department of Justice (DOJ) marijuana-related guidance, including the so-called “Cole Memo.”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
Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a one-page memorandum on December 4th, rescinding Obama-era guidance that had allowed states to legalize medical and recreational marijuana with marginal federal interference, eliminating...more
The U.S. Department of Justice released a memorandum on December 4th, directing all U.S. Attorneys to use their prosecutorial discretion to enforce the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970 with respect to the cultivation,...more
As predicted by Politico, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and other sources, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions today rescinded the 2013 Cole Memorandum “Guidance Regarding Marijuana Enforcement,” which has...more
The U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a memo dated January 4, 2018 regarding federal marijuana enforcement policy, directing all U.S. Attorneys to enforce the laws enacted by Congress and to follow well-established...more
If you have been following recent comments by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in an attempt to predict marijuana policy under the Trump Administration, you might be left scratching your head. In recent comments before...more
Justice Department has options to crack down, but may galvanize the push for even wider legalization - In statements that were perhaps inevitable but nonetheless surprising to the cannabis industry, White House Press...more