I feel like Bill Murray’s character in Groundhog Day. I keep writing the same blog post in some way heralding the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission’s awarding of licenses to would-be operators. Well, on Friday it happened...more
12/4/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
Every election it seems like the country inches closer to cannabis being legal at the federal level. Until that day comes, however, the question of whether those in the cannabis industry can seek bankruptcy relief remains....more
11/27/2023
/ Bankruptcy Court ,
Banks ,
Business Litigation ,
Business Operations ,
California ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Controlled Substances ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Liquidation ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
State and Local Government
A few weeks ago, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Aggarwal v. U.S. DEA directed the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to reconsider its decision not to transfer psilocybin from Schedule I to Schedule II....more
On November 7, 2023, Ohio voters decisively passed Issue 2, putting the “high” in Ohio and becoming the 24th state to legalize adult-use marijuana. Issue 2, which goes into effect on December 7, 2023, allows adults to...more
For as long as there have been rules of evidence and courtrooms, there have been products that can impair litigants or witnesses—and products whose use carries the potential to trigger certain stigmas in the eyes of the...more
11/13/2023
/ Admissible Evidence ,
Agribusiness ,
Cannabis Products ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Crime-Fraud Exception ,
Farm Bill ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Legalization ,
Litigation Privilege ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Marijuana ,
Rules of Evidence
Once hailed by observers as the southern state most likely to legalize marijuana first, North Carolina has not kept pace with its northern neighbors in adopting laws to promote the growth of a vibrant medicinal and...more
11/9/2023
/ Cannabis Products ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Hemp ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
North Carolina ,
Popular ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
In the coming, frenzied 90 days, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission likely will save or ruin the future of medical cannabis in Alabama...
Last Thursday, the AMCC voted to adopt an emergency rule that, by its terms,...more
10/31/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Emergency Rule ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the founder and king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth). Hades punished him for cheating death twice by forcing him to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down every time...more
Loyal Budding Trends readers and hemp operators at large know that the 2018 Farm Bill was a watershed moment for the hemp industry. It brought centuries-old hemp products back from near-extinction and lit the fuse for an...more
Now that the dust is starting to settle on the recent news that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recommended to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) that marijuana be moved from Schedule I to...more
9/20/2023
/ Advertising ,
Banking Sector ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
State and Local Government
Maybe it was inevitable. Anyone who has seen another state award competitive licenses for a limited number of cannabis operators knew well that Alabama’s process would result in litigation. That was not an indictment of...more
9/13/2023
/ Alabama ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licensees ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Open Meetings Act ,
State and Local Government
Jimmy Buffett was a spirit animal of the Budding Trends blog. We don’t quote from him as often as we do the Grateful Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic, or popular movies, but maybe because in many ways his lyrics are too good for...more
9/11/2023
/ Agribusiness ,
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
Just as we did, the Food and Drug Administration has recognized the growing enthusiasm for exploring opportunities to use psychedelic medications to treat mental health disorders. In June, FDA issued for the first time draft...more
For years, the cannabis industry has been the purview of entrepreneurs and those willing to operate in gray areas — those willing to take some measure of risk to recover the premium on that risk. As cannabis has become legal...more
I have literally (yes, literally) lost track of the number of times that the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission or a court has ordered a halt to the AMCC’s efforts to issue licenses to medical cannabis operators. If you...more
9/1/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
According to a report from Bloomberg News, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is officially recommending to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) that marijuana be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III...more
Last Thursday was License Award Day 2.0 for the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Nineteen of the applicants awarded licenses in June, before the process was halted due...more
8/15/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government
In a court hearing yesterday in the Montgomery County Circuit Court, it appeared that the staff of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission was prepared to move forward announcing licensees at its meeting on Thursday and that...more
8/8/2023
/ Alabama ,
Cannabis Products ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Failure to Comply ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Mootness ,
Open Meetings Act ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rules of Professional Conduct ,
State and Local Government ,
State Constitutions
Last week in a small hearing room in a House office building, the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services held a hearing titled “Hemp in the Modern World: The Years long Wait for...more
We’ve been tossing this idea around in our heads ever since research about microdosing psychedelics entered the mainstream media a few years ago. And the more we think about it, the more we think Congress may allow patient...more
In a shocking development only four days after announcing its intent to issue 21 licenses to cultivators, processors, dispensaries, secured transporters, laboratory testing facilities, and integrated facilities, the Alabama...more
6/19/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Stays
Yesterday was a day years in the making for would-be medical cannabis operators in Alabama, as the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) announced its intent to issue 21 licenses to cultivators, processors, dispensaries,...more
6/13/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government
Just before the midterms last year, President Biden made two historic announcements that he described as steps to “end” the federal government’s “failed approach” to marijuana. First, he issued mass pardons for federal...more
We write blog posts about cannabis, but most of the time the posts are about things that are happening in the cannabis world. This post is about whether something should happen in the cannabis world. Specifically, should...more
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission held its regularly scheduled monthly public meeting last Thursday. Although the commission did not make any significant decisions during the meeting, we did learn some important...more