By some estimates, sales of legal cannabis in the United States are expected to top $30 billion by 2025. If cannabis is de-scheduled, this nascent industry is well-positioned to burgeon into the next great American capitalism story. The obvious question is: “Who will benefit?”
Continue Reading Social Equity in the Cannabis Industry: Is It Working?
On June 29, 2020, Colorado adopted a statewide social equity program (SEP) for permitting cannabis operators.[1] More specifically, House Bill 20-1424 (HB 20-1424) “defines social equity licensees, and modifies and expands the marijuana accelerator program to make it available for social equity licensees and retail marijuana stores.”[2] The new law enables a social equity licensee to participate in the state’s accelerator program, which, as managed by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, supports cannabis business development.[3] Colorado’s accelerator licensing program, originally slated to go into effect July 1, 2020,[4] pairs low-income entrepreneurs with existing cannabis businesses and, under the new law, effective January 1, 2021,[5] accelerator licenses will now be available to social equity applicants.[6]
Continue Reading Colorado’s Accelerator Program Paves Way for a Social Equity Program
In an effort to stem the tide of COVID-19 transmission, many state and local governments have enacted “shelter-in-place” or “stay-at-home” orders to protect the health and well-being of citizens, and
Continue Reading Continued Cannabis Operation Deemed “Essential” In Many COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders
QR Codes for Retailers, Distributors, and Delivery
On February 13, 2020, The Bureau of Cannabis Control’s (BCC) emergency rulemaking for Quick Response Code (QR Code) certificate requirements was approved by
Continue Reading California Update: New QR Code Certificate Requirements, Uptick in Enforcement Actions, and the Future of California’s Cannabis Regulators
On November 25, 2019, FDA issued Warning Letters to 15 companies illegally marketing cannabidiol (CBD) products. On the same day, U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) published a revised consumer
Continue Reading FDA Issues Warning Letters to 15 Companies, Consumer Update on CBD Safety
On November 20, 2019, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would decriminalize cannabis on a nationwide scale. The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 – or
Continue Reading In a Historic Move, House Judiciary Committee Moves to Federally Legalize Cannabis
The legalization of cannabis in several states had left a major question unanswered: is an employee who violates the federal Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) by distributing cannabis as part of his or her job still subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), which provides for the payment of wages?
Continue Reading Tenth Circuit Holds the Controlled Substance Act Is Not At Odds With the Fair Labor Standards Act
On October 29, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its long-awaited interim final rule governing the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program. USDA has been developing these interim regulations since hemp was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill. These hotly anticipated rules are important not only for hemp producers and hemp-derived product companies, but for cannabis companies interested in diversifying or pivoting into a crop that is legal under federal law.
Continue Reading BREAKING NEWS: USDA Releases Interim Final Hemp Rule
On October 12, 2019, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1291 (“AB 1291”) into law, which requires companies to sign a so-called “labor peace” agreement with a union or risk losing their cannabis license; thereby, strengthening already union-friendly statewide cannabis law.
Continue Reading AB 1291 Forces California Cannabis Companies To Sign “Labor Peace Agreements” With Unions, But Statute May be Unconstitutional
On May 2, 2019, the United States Trademark Office issued new Examination Guidelines for goods and services associated with cannabis and cannabis-derived products and services legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill.[1] This crack in the federal armor against the cannabis economy opens the door for the federal registration of trademark rights and is an important step toward normalizing the nation’s laws governing cannabis and cannabis-related business activities in states where such products are legal.
Continue Reading The U.S. Trademark Office Opens The Door to Registering Certain Cannabis Trademarks