This article is the second in a series of four (4). PART 1 in this series explained that to legally operate a cannabis business, whether medical or recreational, a license or permit to operate must be obtained. Every state has its own regulations and application process in place. They all require security measures to provide […]
Compliance and Regulations
Security Master Planning in the Cannabis Industry
Part 1 of 4 In order to legally operate a cannabis business, whether medical or recreational, a license or permit to operate must be obtained. Every state has its own regulations and application process in place. They all require security measures to provide for the safety and security of the operation, its associates, and the […]
Will Hemp-Derived CBD Be Fully Legal with Passage of the 2018 Farm Bill? Not Quite…
By Ian Stewart, Wilson Elser Public interest in the potential health benefits of CBD (cannabidiol) is responsible for a whole new market segment of health and wellness foods and supplements that features CBD as an ingredient. CBD is one of more than 100 cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, but unlike THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD is not […]
Making Data Work: What You Need to Know
The cannabis industry is evolving rapidly and so is the usage of data in a business, particularly in this nascent industry. We all know that data’s importance to business strategy is unimaginably larger than a couple of decades ago, but what does it mean to have data that works for your business, in a secure, […]
What Cannabis Companies Should Know About Data Security and Breach Response Requirements
Cannabis companies should remain mindful of the importance of creating and maintaining a comprehensive written data security program. No cannabis company should aspire to being subject to response costs, regulatory fines, and potential lawsuits that follow the theft or inadvertent disclosures of legally protected or commercially sensitive data or, even worse, harming customers by enabling […]
Unique Program to Track and Trace Dollars in CA Could Pave the Way for a Banking Solution in the US
State and local governments vary greatly in their ability to attract and compensate regulatory personnel that bring institutional knowledge and experience to regulate the nascent Cannabis Industry in their respective spheres of influence. Think about it, the challenge for any state or local government is to find and afford people with the experience and the […]
Mandatory Testing Costly For Colorado Marijuana Growers
New mandatory marijuana pesticide testing in Colorado is putting a financial squeeze on local cultivators to the tune of thousands of dollars in increased costs. The added expense is the latest financial blow to hit the state’s cultivators, which are already struggling with falling wholesale prices and a glut of product. Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division […]
ASTM Announces New International Standard Projects to Help Reduce Hazards in Cannabis Processing and Cannabis Sampling Procedures
PRESS RELEASES Two Proposed ASTM International Standards Underway to Support Cannabis Sampling Procedures W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., August 23, 2018 – Members of the ASTM International cannabis committee (D37) are proposing two guides for cannabis sampling procedures in an effort to ultimately improve consumer safety. The guides cover concentrates, extracts, and other cannabis-infused products (WK64646) as […]
The Whole Gamet: Packaging Made Perfect
The big challenge for most companies in the emerging cannabis industry is how to package and label their product to be compliant with state regulations while still having it look great and carry the brand’s message to the end-user. Because of all the requirements, this is not an easy task. This article is not going to list […]
6 Essential Items to Include on Your Cannabis Label
The more useful information you list, the more you empower the consumer and earn their trust. One of the most challenging and thrilling facts about branding cannabis is that there is no clearly established standard. It was just a couple years ago now that packaging even became a relevant thought to a manufacturer. Before then, […]
The Whole Gamet: Compliance Tips
Welcome to The Whole Gamet. This column is designed to provide cannabis entrepreneurs, executives, and those thinking about getting into the business, with real-world advice from someone who has been on the front lines. I am your host, Greg Gamet, and I have founded, operated, or been involved with a wide variety of businesses in […]
DripDripDrip – What is AG Jeff Sessions Up To Now?
What is U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions working on today that affects the cannabis industry, and who is he working on it with? If the most recent meeting held just two weeks ago is any indication, he’s digging in deeper in his quest to stop legalization, and calling in bigger policy and researcher guns to […]
Another Shot in the Arm for Legalization? New Laws Expanding Hemp Production Stepping Up the Discussion
What’s that? Hemp making a comeback? An illegal Substance 1 drug? Has the Drug Enforcement Administration gone soft on cannabis crime? No, that’s not likely. But when it comes to hemp, and medicinal CBD derived from hemp, all of which is treated as a Substance 1 drug by the DEA, recent legislature moves on hemp […]
Are We Getting Closer to a ‘Supreme’ Moment in the Cannabis Industry?
For years, thought leaders in the cannabis business have spoken about the possibility that the issue of cannabis prohibition would some day find its way into the Supreme Court. That day was just pushed a little closer to reality by one of the staunchest opponents of the cannabis industry – outgoing New Jersey Governor Chris […]
Questionable Licensing Issues Now Cropping Up In Ohio – ‘The Process Is Severely Broken’
As the regulatory process plays out across various states in the country – most importantly, in California where regulations and rules are coming right down to the wire (and maybe a little beyond) for the January 1, 2018 start of recreational – more and more issues are cropping up about the licensing process itself and […]
Look, But Don’t Touch: Big Box Stores And ‘Hemp CBD’
Media recently reported on Target’s short-lived effort at selling cannabis-based CBD products online. By the end of the day on which the reporting was made, the major retailer had already removed the product from its website. The Phoenix New Times quoted Target spokesperson Kate Decker as saying, “We started carrying Charlotte’s Web hemp extract items last week on Target.com. After […]
D.C. Policy Summit – Researchers Working on First-Ever Federally-Approved Medical Marijuana Study Fighting to Overcome Significant DEA, NIDA Obstacles
The 10th Annual DuPont Summit on Science, Technology and Environment Policy held in Washington, D.C. on December 1 is usually reserved for issues like equitable access to broadband technology or building sustainability in policy or cybersecurity risk management. This year, the summit also included a session on cannabis, “Medical Marijuana-Miracle or Madness?” – a title […]
Seven 2017 Cannabis Legalization Bills in Play and What That Means for the Industry
There is now a wide assortment of bills in Congress related to cannabis (and hemp) legalization and use. And while most of these bills have not seen movement in 2017, the sheer number of them introduced in 2017 are creating a perfect storm for attention from Congress and more active committee discussion in 2018. Here […]
