On February 23, 2024, the German Bundestag passed the Cannabisgesetz, or Cannabis Control Bill, making it the third member of the EU to legalize adult-use cannabis. Once in effect, this law will legalize adult-use cannabis...more
On November 7, 2023, Ohio voters voted in favor of Ohio Issue 2, An Act to Control and Regulate Adult Use Cannabis, over the strong objections of Ohio’s governor. Ohio becomes the 24th state to legalize adult-use cannabis and...more
On October 6, 2022, President Biden pardoned all Federal offenses of simple possession of cannabis. On that same day, Biden directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to commence the...more
Over the past month, both Delaware and Minnesota have legalized adult-use cannabis. They are the first two states to legalize in 2023 and represent the 22nd and 23rd states to allow for adult-use commercial cannabis markets. ...more
5/31/2023
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Employment Policies ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
New Legislation ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sales Tax ,
State Taxes
On May 11, 2023, the New York State Cannabis Control Board (CCB) of the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced revised proposed adult-use cannabis regulations. The revised regulations contain some significant changes...more
5/18/2023
/ Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Comment Period ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Popular ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Recreational Use ,
Retailers ,
State and Local Government
Five states voted yesterday on adult-use cannabis legalization. It was not the Green Wave of 2020, but two more states did join the growing number of states that have legalized cannabis for adult-use....more
On October 6, 2022, President Biden announced that his Administration granted unconditional pardons to individuals charged with or prosecuted for simple cannabis possession and urged all state governors to do the same....more
On May 25, 2022, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed the Rhode Island Cannabis Act (the “Act”) into law, which legalizes recreational cannabis in Rhode Island.
Some key highlights of the Act include the following...more
A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the United States District Court for the Central District of California’s ruling in AK Futures LLC v. Boyd Street Distro, LLC, finding...more
On February 2, 2022, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed legislation authorizing cannabis for medical use. Mississippi is now the 37th state to legalize medical cannabis. The passage of SB 2095 (the "Act") comes more than...more
2/4/2022
/ Banks ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Licensing Fees ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government
On October 6, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB-45, creating an explicit framework for the manufacture and sale of hemp-derivative products in the state of California.
While hemp was legalized at the federal...more
10/8/2021
/ Beverage Manufacturers ,
California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Enforcement ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Labeling ,
Marketing ,
New Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Registration Requirement ,
Retail Sales ,
Testing Requirements
On August 19, 2021, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) approved the Specially Adopted Personal Use Cannabis Rules (the “Rules”). The Rules will be effective until at least August 19, 2022.
The Rules...more
8/24/2021
/ Application Fees ,
Business Operations ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Excise Tax ,
License Applications ,
License Fees ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Municipalities ,
Recreational Use ,
Social Equity Programs ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Revenues
On April 12, 2021, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, signed House Bill 2, the Cannabis Regulation Act (the “Act”), which legalizes recreational cannabis in the state.
In addition to legalizing recreational...more
4/14/2021
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Justice Reform ,
Criminal Records ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Expungement ,
License Applications ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Recreational Use ,
Sales Tax
On April 7, 2021, a majority of both houses of the Virginia legislature voted to legalize adult recreational use of cannabis. The approval made Virginia the 16th U.S. state – and the third state this year – to legalize adult...more
On March 31, 2021, New York became the 16th state in the U.S. (with New Mexico poised to become the 17th any day now) to legalize the recreational use of cannabis by people 21 years old or older, paving the way for the...more
4/13/2021
/ Advertising ,
B2C ,
Controlled Substances ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Marketing ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
Telecommunications ,
Text Messages
On February 8, 2021, South Dakota Circuit Court Judge Christina Klinger struck down Amendment A, the constitutional amendment legalizing adult-use cannabis that was approved by state voters at the ballot box this past...more
Last Friday, on January 22 — less than three months after voters approved Proposition 207 legalizing recreational marijuana — the Arizona Department of Health Services (“ADHS”) opened the state to recreational cannabis sales....more
It was a Green Wave on election night, with every cannabis-related legalization measure on the ballot passing, some by surprisingly large margins of victory. As a result of the November 2020 election, the number of states...more
11/5/2020
/ Ballot Measures ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Recreational Use ,
Sales Tax ,
State and Local Government ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Rates
On September 13, 2019 — the final day of the 2019 legislative session — both houses of the California Legislature unanimously passed SB-153, which may be California’s most significant industrial hemp legislation since the...more
Health claims about cannabidiol (CBD) products are facing new scrutiny from yet another federal government enforcer. Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it sent warning letters to three...more
In the late afternoon of December 12, 2018, both houses of Congress passed the $867 billion-dollar Farm Bill (“2018 Farm Bill”), which, among other things, removes industrial hemp and its byproducts from the definition of...more
During this week’s midterm elections, binding marijuana-related referenda appeared on the ballot in four states. Three of the referenda passed, and one was defeated. Specifically, Tuesday’s election added Michigan to the list...more
This week saw three significant legal developments for the cannabis industry in the United States – the first FDA approval of a cannabis-derived drug, Oklahoma voters’ support of a medical marijuana bill, and the introduction...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today issued a memorandum in which it rescinded guidance issued during the Obama Administration related to the enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act, and related money laundering...more
In a unanimous 8-0 decision, the Supreme Court ruled on May 22, 2017, in TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC that for purposes of venue in patent-infringement litigation, a U.S. corporation “resides” only in the...more