California law allows adults to buy marijuana. It allows licensed businesses to deliver marijuana to customers, and it says specifically that cities and counties cannot prevent delivery services from traveling on public roads. Yet even though cities can’t stop deliveries traveling through their jurisdiction, many cities currently ban deliveries to their jurisdiction. That means that unlike deliveries of virtually […]
California
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Social Equity Cannabis In Los Angeles
By Hillary Bricken Potential applicants on both sides of the social equity aisle need to be aware of the tricks being used to game this new system. Phase II cannabis licensing in the City of Los Angeles (for only non-retail activity) kicked off on August 1 at 12 p.m. (and it will conclude on September 13th). […]
Buzzkill Alert: California Prohibits Hemp CBD In Food
California is essentially letting the FDA dictate what it will do with hemp CBD. Earlier this month, the California Department of Public Health’s Food and Drug Branch (CDPH-FDB) issued a revised FAQ on cannabidiol (CBD) in food products. Per these FAQs it appears California intends to block the sale of hemp-derived CBD products — which are […]
California’s exploding market for hemp CBD products rocked by sporadic crackdowns
The pink menus at Coffee Dose, a Costa Mesa coffee shop, list lattes infused with trendy ingredients such as tumeric powder and grass-fed butter. The menus also have several ingredients carefully hidden by lines of Wite-Out. But look closely enough and you can make out two words: “CBD oil.” Cannabidiol, known as CBD, is one […]
California Cannabis Outlook Slashed by BDS on Slow Licensing
Forecast for 2018 marijuana sales reduced for second time, Research firm cites new regulations that have hit the industry New state rules are killing the buzz on California’s cannabis sales. Legal pot that was once expected to generate $3.7 billion in revenue this year now is forecast to total just $2.9 billion, Greg Shoenfeld, vice president […]
Marijuana festivals, and businesses that benefit from them, are hurting now that cannabis is legal in California
Marijuana festival organizers were banking on this to be their biggest year yet, now that recreational cannabis is legal in California and the state is legitimizing such events by licensing them for the first time. Promoters say they planned to stop operating under the loose protections of the state’s medical marijuana laws, where they’d force […]
America’s Largest County Prepares To Regulate Commercial Cannabis Sales
Los Angeles County finally seems ready to open its doors to local cannabis regulations. By HILARY BRICKEN Under MAUCRSA, before you can secure even a temporary license to operate, you must first obtain “local approval.” Local approval is basically affirmative authorization from the city or county in which you plan to operate that it approves […]
California Marijuana Dispensaries Cut Prices Ahead Of New Testing Protocol
For the next four days in California, every weed must go. Since the state fully legalized cannabis on Jan. 1, the industry had a six-month transition period to adopt new testing, packaging and ingredient standards. Businesses can continue to sell products that don’t meet the new requirements until June 30, but will be forced to destroy […]
Investor Protections in Cannabis Companies, Part Two
By Jay Purcell, Senior Associate, Clark Neubert LLP Investors in California cannabis companies should have zero expectation of privacy. Both periodically and following certain events, major and minor investors must be disclosed to the Bureau of Cannabis Control (“BCC”). While anonymity is impossible under California law, investors can minimize disclosures by structuring investments to avoid […]
CA Distributors: Help Protect Yourself from Excise Tax Penalties
California has a number of different licenses—nursery, cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, testing, retail, microbusiness (engaged in three cannabis business activities), and a few other ancillary licenses. Except for testing, California state law permits vertical integration of licenses. In other words, one owner could possess multiple licenses, such as a manufacturer, distributor and retailer license. The basic […]
