The trend of states legalizing cannabis – 33 Medical Marijuana states plus the District of Columbia and 10 Adult-Use states and counting – while it remains illegal under federal law poses a dilemma for U.S. financial institutions. While some banks and credit unions have chosen to serve cannabis businesses, most refuse to do so given […]
Compliance and Regulations
Security Master Planning in the Cannabis Industry – Part 3: The Security Management Plan
THE SECURITY MANAGEMENT PLAN PART 1in 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 for the safety and security of the operation, […]
Proposed Standards Aim to Help with Cannabis Business Security Issues
PRESS RELEASE W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., March 27, 2019 – Three proposed ASTM International standards aim to support day-to-day security management of cannabis-related businesses. The standards are being developed by ASTM International’s cannabis committee (D37). According to committee member Erica Rigler, one standard aims to include recommendations on video surveillance systems (WK61980) which can provide forensic […]
Security Master Planning in the Cannabis Industry – Part 2: The Security Technology Plan
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 […]
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 […]
