Cannabis

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We counsel our cannabis (and non-cannabis) clients extensively on product liability issues, and have warned them that the federal illegality of their products will not shield them from the same products liability risks faced by companies in other industries. We extend the same warnings to our cannabidiol (CBD) clients, who, if they are operating outside of a state-run cannabis licensing regime, are actually in a position of even greater risk. Lack of regulation in the…
Medical marijuana is legal in Montana. Unfortunately, that does not prevent local employers from terminating workers for legal, off-work use of marijuana in the state. In 2010, while already employed by Charter Communications, LLC, Lance Carlson was issued a medical marijuana card under Montana Medical Marijuana Act to treat chronic low back and stomach pain. The medical marijuana card allowed Mr. Carlson to legally use marijuana to treat the conditions. In 2016, Mr. Carlson was…
Back in August, I covered the landmark Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug trial approval for psilocybin, the naturally occurring, psychedelic ingredient found in around 200 species of mushrooms. I speculated that if everything goes well, we could see an approved psilocybin drug hit the market sometime in the next 5 to 10 years. I also mentioned that it’s possible that psilocybin could be legalized in certain states before that, including Oregon. Last month…
Today, the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) published its Proposed Text of Regulations Submitted to Office of Administrative Law for review here. We are still in the process of reviewing everything, but there are enough ambiguities to cause us a good deal of concern, particularly with respect to IP licensing and contract manufacturing agreements. We are also reviewing the BCC’s responses to comments submitted on the proposed regulations back in early November, of…
According to a recent report from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crime Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), a growing number of financial institutions are willing to work with cannabis businesses. As of September 30, 375 banks and 111 credit unions were managing marijuana business accounts. These numbers reveal a steady growth in the number of financial providers willing to engage with the cannabis industry, despite its federal illegality. The report confirms what our cannabis business lawyers have…
Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. First, recreational marijuana is now legal in the state of Michigan.  Of course, as we have discussed before, making marijuana legal is only the first step in setting up stores to purchase marijuana.  In fact, the Chicago Tribune wonders if Illinois could legalize marijuana and set up commercial outlets more quickly. Meanwhile, in Utah, another…
New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer first caught my attention six months ago when he produced this notable report titled "Estimated Tax Revenues from Marijuana Legalization in New York." Today, Comptroller Stringer has my attention again with this notable new 15-page report titled "Addressing the Harms of Prohibition: What……
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By , December 6, 2018 [Special thanks for this guest blog from Wendel Rosen attorney Wendy Manley.] Those on the forefront of the burgeoning cannabis industry are a bold lot, striking out into the frontier of new, shifting and unanticipated regulations. While these pioneers may have know-how in cultivating, developing and marketing new cannabis products, they likely never imagined the tangle of regulations they would need to manage. Perhaps chief amongst those…