Governor Cuomo Introduces New Legislation to Regulate Adult-Use Cannabis in New York State To help close New York’s $6 billion budget gap, Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced legislation that would legalize adult-use cannabis within the state as part of his proposed budget for fiscal year 2021, anticipating that tax revenue could bring in hundreds of millions […]
Policy & Legal
Mexico Senate Leader Seeks to Legalize Marijuana This Spring
Mexico’s Senate is set to debate bills to legalize marijuana and regulate outsourcing in the coming period from February to April. The Senate will debate a bill co-authored by Senate Majority Leader Ricardo Monreal to regulate planting, production, labeling, sales and distribution, and would make it free for medical use, according to a document sent […]
Cuomo amends marijuana legalization plan, but not enough yet for lawmakers
The Cuomo administration has amended its marijuana legalization proposals to include new efforts pertaining to regulating the drug market, the taxation of suppliers and how to prod illicit marijuana suppliers to join a legalized system. “We’ve looked at lessons learned,” said Norman Birenbaum, the state’s director of cannabis programs, in an interview after Gov. Andrew […]
Hundreds denied Missouri medical marijuana business licenses — and it’s not clear why
Leisa Stevens thought she had compiled a fairly competitive application to start growing cannabis on 30 acres near Kansas City International Airport. To get in on Missouri’s fledgling medical marijuana business, she scoured the state’s rules, hired an engineering firm and brought an attorney on board. She found a security expert and worked with an […]
Patients plead with SC legislators to legalize marijuana, but efforts remain blocked
A grandmother from Hilton Head Island pleaded with legislators Wednesday to let her ease her suffering legally. But bipartisan efforts to allow South Carolinians to use marijuana as medicine continue to be blocked by opposition from law enforcement. Margaret Richardson said she lives in fear of the excruciating jolts of pain that come […]
California legalized marijuana 2 years ago. So why is the state seizing so much of it?
California voters made marijuana legal to purchase and consume, but that hasn’t stopped state and local law enforcement from seizing tons of it from black market growers and retailers. By the end of 2019, agents at the California Bureau of Cannabis Control alone had seized nearly 24 tons of illicit cannabis, valued at nearly $133 […]
Austin, Texas police will stop arrests, tickets in most low-level marijuana cases after unanimous City Council vote
The Austin City Council approved a resolution Thursday that will largely end arrests and fines for low-level marijuana possession. This comes after Texas’ legalization of hemp last June threw marijuana prosecution into chaos since the plants look and smell identical. The resolution directs Austin police not to spend city resources on newly necessary lab tests to distinguish marijuana from […]
Missouri Commercial Hemp Farming Update
By Daniel E. Tranen and Neil M. Willner There is a great deal of interest in Missouri regarding the opportunities the state offers in the commercial hemp farming business. Hemp is a burgeoning new cash crop with scores of applications from fabric to “hempcrete” to drywall to biofuel. Of course, hemp also is the source […]
The California Bureau of Cannabis Control Declares Vaping Crisis Emergency and Reguires All Licensed Retailers to Display Quick Response (QR) Code Certificate to Confirm Legal Licensure
Bureau of Cannabis Control Finding of Emergency and Notice of Proposed Emergency Regulations – Quick Response (QR) Code Certificate Requirements for Cannabis Licensees The Bureau of Cannabis Control (Bureau) finds that an emergency, as defined in Government Code section 11342.545 currently exists. As such, the Bureau finds that immediate action to amend the Bureau’s regulations […]
Michigan recalls 9,380 marijuana vaping products over vitamin E acetate concerns
Vaping cartridges containing vitamin E acetate, a cutting agent suspected in a nationwide outbreak of deadly lung illnesses, has been discovered in samples of products sold from a Detroit dispensary. The Marijuana Regulatory Agency after 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, recalled various flavors of Savage brand vaping concentrate sold by Plan B Wellness, a licensed […]
Ohio medical marijuana patients among more than 30,000 exposed in data breach
One Ohio medical marijuana dispensary was exposed in a national data breach leaking personally identifiable information for more than 30,000 people. Bloom Medicinals, which operates five dispensaries in Ohio, was one of three cannabis companies identified in a Wednesday report revealing a recent leak involving THSuite, which provides point-of-sale systems to cannabis stores. Internet researchers at vpnMentor were able to […]
Missouri begins announcing medical marijuana dispensary licenses one day early
On Thursday morning the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services began notifying hundreds of applicants for coveted medical marijuana dispensary licenses as to whether they would be permitted to sell cannabis inside highly secured retail facilities. Department spokeswoman Lisa Cox told the News-Leader by text message that the full list of accepted and denied […]
California Cannabis Claims: Breach of Fiduciary Duty
By Jihee Ahn, Attorney @ Harris Bricken Welcome back to our litigation series on California cannabis claims. We’re continuing today with a cause of action we unfortunately commonly see in cannabis litigation: the breach of fiduciary duty. Introduction A fiduciary relationship exists between parties when at least one of the parties is, in duty, bound […]
The Importance Of Retaining Counsel: An Evolving Trend for the Booming Cannabis Industry
Companies in the cannabis industry are not immune from trends experienced by employers in other industries. From harassment lawsuits to white-collar investigations, employers are facing a multitude of claims – especially as state and federal employment law continues to evolve. As the industry grows, cannabis employers will begin to confront similar challenges. This is especially […]
Connecticut lawmakers will make new push for marijuana legalization this year
After coming close in 2019, Connecticut lawmakers will make another push in 2020 to regulate and tax marijuana for recreational use. The leaders of three key legislative committees met last week to discuss the effort, said Rep. Jason Rojas, chairman of the finance, revenue and bonding committee. “There’s still some uncertainty about how much support […]
Weed? CBD? New products, new laws are causing confusion in the workplace
From makeup and oils to capsules for stress relief, cannabis-based goods are flowing into the marketplace. But while they may not get you high, they can still cause you problems at work. Cannabidiol or CBD has been showing up in a widening array of goods. That’s because federal legislation in 2018 deemed that hemp – one of its sources – […]
Hemp Eruption Favors Jersey First
Was it really this asinine? Up until last year, 3 federal agencies and 42 state governments were creating contradictory Hemp growing and processing rules often barring hemp-derived product sales and demonizing one particular item, Cannabidol (“CBD”). This exploded in the ensuing 12 months with $641 million in domestic hemp-derived product sales (78% of which was […]
New York’s Marijuana legalization wars kick off this week in Albany
Shortly before efforts to legalize marijuana failed in the State Senate last June, the measure’s sponsor made a dire prediction: The issue would be dead in 2020. State Sen. Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat, believed then that lawmakers would fear taking on such a controversial issue in an election year. “I’ve changed my mind,’’ Krueger […]
