By Nathalie Bougenies, Attorney @ Harris Bricken The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department […]
Policy & Legal
Is Thailand the next big marijuana market?
In East and Southeast Asia, democracies and dictatorships alike have long skewed toward severe penalties for marijuana users. Thailand, a key ally in America’s global war on drugs, has been no exception. But the perception of cannabis has begun to change with astonishing speed. Thailand’s right-wing government recently legalized medical cannabis — and identified the creation of […]
Second manufacturer joins Iowa’s medical marijuana program
As Iowa’s medical marijuana program this week meets its latest benchmark set by a law outlining its expansion, patients and caregivers can expect more products to become available to them in the future, state manufacturing officials indicate. Thursday marked the official launch of Iowa Relief, the second state-approved medical marijuana manufacturer, which plans to release […]
Harvest Entities Reach Agreement with Pennsylvania Department of Health
PRESS RELEASE August 14, 2019 – PHOENIX, Ariz. – Harvest Health & Recreation, Inc. (CSE: HARV, OTCQX: HRVSF) (“Harvest”), a vertically integrated cannabis company with one of the largest and deepest footprints in the U.S., today released the following response to the Harvest entities’ agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. On August 16th, after concluding negotiations […]
Ohio Committee drops support for approving marijuana to treat autism, anxiety
A committee of experts has rescinded its recommendation to approve medical marijuana to treat autism and anxiety in Ohio. The expert review committee of the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program had voted last fall to recommend that the State Medical Board of Ohio approve marijuana to treat those conditions, but it reversed course after hearing […]
Second manufacturer joins Iowa’s medical marijuana program
As Iowa’s medical marijuana program this week meets its latest benchmark set by a law outlining its expansion, patients and caregivers can expect more products to become available to them in the future, state manufacturing officials indicate. Thursday marks the official launch of Iowa Relief, the second state-approved medical marijuana manufacturer, which plans to release […]
California has the biggest legal marijuana market in the world, despite black market
California is on track to post a record $3.1 billion in licensed cannabis sales this year, solidifying its status as the largest legal marijuana market in the world, according to a study released Thursday by financial analysts who advise the industry. Legal sales are up significantly from an approximate $2.5 billion in 2018, the first […]
Ongoing Disclosure Requirements For Cannabis Licensees & Owners in California
By: Jay Purcell, Clark Neubert LLP Finally, cannabis companies are obtaining annual licenses, triggering a new set of disclosure regulations. Three regulators require ongoing disclosures of changes to old—application-information and disclosure of information not previously requested: Bureau of Cannabis Control (“BCC,” regulates retailers and distributors), CA. Department of Food and Agriculture (“CDFA,” regulates cultivators) and CA. […]
The Biggest Pitfalls of California Cannabis Leases in 2019
By Hilary Bricken, Founder at Harris Bricken We’ve written many times about how commercial leases to cannabis tenants are their own beasts. Generic leases don’t ever the job done. And, in California, as bad as some landlords want to rely solely on AIR and CAR forms, we generally caution landlords to have a customized lease […]
Did the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Remove the Teeth of 280E?
It seems that a cannabis dispensary could make a very strong case to run a portion of rent, payroll, utilities, security, and other overhead items through cost of goods sold…
New Jersey Senate President exploring ‘restriction’ on legal weed edibles
Senate President Stephen Sweeney will look at a possible restriction on edible forms of marijuana in an attempt to win over legislators hesitant to vote for legal weed. Sweeney, D-Gloucester, raised the concerns about edibles Tuesday during an editorial board meeting with the Asbury Park Press. Several Democrats had expressed concerns about cannabis-infused edibles that, if […]
Hemp-CBD Across State Lines: Florida
By Daniel Shortt, Attorney @ Harris Bricken The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department […]
Illinois’ Medical Marijuana Program Is Now Permanent, Expanded
Illinois’ medical marijuana program is getting a second wind. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a pair of bills on Monday expanding who can get a medical card, and when they can use it. The program was initially limited to just six years, but is now permanent. When the law was first signed in 2013, state lawmakers made […]
Ads for CBD as Cure-All Are Everywhere, but Regulation Is Scant
Scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., were concerned when a young man contacted their department last year complaining of a heart-pounding, hallucinogenic high he had neither expected nor wanted to have. The team, led by the forensic toxicologist Michelle R. Peace, had published a study about mysterious ingredients in vaping liquids. That’s how […]
Lobbyists race to cash in on cannabis boom
Lobbying firms are taking advantage of the cannabis boom as a number of bills on the industry move through Congress and state legislatures. As businesses look for help dealing with new legislative and regulatory challenges, K Street is rushing to capitalize, highlighted this week by the highest-grossing firm, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, launching a new […]
Outside Lands Gets Approval to Sell Weed
San Francisco grants first temporary sales permit days ahead of annual Golden Gate Park festival, allowing vendors to sell flower and concentrate Marijuana will be available to purchase legally at Outside Lands this year after the festival received the green light from the San Francisco Office of Cannabis Wednesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The festival […]
D.C. Opens Medical Marijuana Dispensaries To Patients From Most States Where It’s Legal
Medical marijuana patients from across the U.S. can now buy their medicine at D.C. dispensaries. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Thursday that the list of states with medical marijuana programs whose residents can purchase their pot in D.C. is expanding from 19 to 27, with four more states currently under review. The new states added include Alaska, Arizona, […]
For immigrants, even legal marijuana use can result in deportation
In late December 2017, Lisa Kum received a call from her husband, Sothy. Sothy told Lisa to pick him up in Chicago because he was about to be released after three months of detention by immigration authorities on a marijuana-related charge. On the drive from Wisconsin with their daughter Emma, she received another call: Sothy […]
