Alcohol Law Advisor

Regulatory and Distribution Law Updates for the Alcohol Industry

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By: McDermott Will & Emery

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Arthur J. DeCelle
Anthony DeMaio
Andrea Hamilton
Ashley L. McMahon
Barrett. K. Lopez
Bethany Hatef
Benjamin O. Kostrzewa
Christopher M. Lahiff
McDermott Will & Emery
David Ransom
Dwight Mersereau
Eleanor B. Atkins
Emily Townsend
Emily Rickard
Gugan Kaur
George Tzanetakos
McDermott Will & Emery
Jennifer Aronoff
Jessica Bayles
Jonathan Ende
W. Kam Quarles
Katherine F. Froelicher
Kevin Spencer
Lynette Ryan Arce
Lauren A. Ferrante
Mélanie Bruneau
McDermott Will & Emery
T. Marshall Fawley III
McDermott Will & Emery
Mary Hallerman
Mary Kay McCalla Martire
Marc Sorini
Noah Feldman Greene
Robin L. Greenhouse
Robert W. Zelnick
Stuart Mathews
Steffen Woitz
Veronica Pinotti
Will Diaz
William M. Friedman

Latest from Alcohol Law Advisor

Last week the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) made public three new warning letters to Cannabidiol (CBD) and hemp oil product companies sent by FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). FDA has previously targeted cannabis product companies. The new warning letters are consistent with FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb’s recent statements that the FDA will go after manufacturers of CBD products that make health and wellness claims that FDA views as egregious. For example, the…
The FDA recently issued Guidance announcing its decision to exercise enforcement discretion with regard to the Produce Safety Rule for entities growing, harvesting, packing or holding hops and wine grapes, as well as almonds and pulse crops (dry, edible seeds in the legume family harvested solely in dried form). More specifically, while the FDA considers rulemaking to address the unique circumstances of these four crops, the FDA does not expect entities growing, harvesting, packing or…
On March 18, 2019, the Washington Court of Appeals upheld a trial court’s decision that three advertising campaigns for 5-Hour Energy® made by Living Essentials, LLP and Innovative Ventures, LLP (collectively, Living Essentials) violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act (CPA) by making deceptive advertising claims. Living Essentials makes and markets the energy drink 5-Hour Energy®. The three advertising claims at issue involve claims about the efficacy of the drink. Living Essentials claimed or implied that:…
On May 31, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a public hearing on cannabis products. The hearing seeks to obtain scientific data on cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds, along with additional information regarding health and safety risks, manufacturing and product quality, marketing, labeling and the sale of such products. The FDA’s notice announcing the hearing recognizes that the regulatory landscape surrounding cannabis continues to evolve at both the federal and state levels. At…
On Friday, March 29, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri handed down its decision in Sarasota Wine Market v. Parson, No. 4:17CV2792. The decision upholds Missouri’s laws permitting in-state retailers to sell and deliver directly to consumers’ homes, but withholding that same privilege to out-of-state retailers. Plaintiffs had challenged the Missouri statutes under both the so-called “dormant” Commerce Clause and the Privileges and Immunities Clause of the Federal Constitution. The…
In September 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a petition for a writ of certiorari brought before the Court by the Tennessee Retailers in Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Byrd. The petition requested that the Court review the lower court’s decision upholding a finding that Tennessee’s two-year residency requirement for retail license applicants is unconstitutional. Specifically, the question Tennessee retailers posed to the Court is whether the 21st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution…
The Agricultural Act of 2018, better known as the 2018 Farm Bill, authorizes the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve plans submitted by states, territories and Native American tribes for the commercial production of hemp. Under the 2018 Farm Bill, “hemp” is the cannabis plant and any part of that plant, including the seeds and all derivatives, extracts, and cannabinoids, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a…
Last week, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a $2.6 million fine against beer wholesaler Craft Brewers Guild (a Sheehan family-owned company) for violating anti-price discrimination statutes and commercial bribery regulations. In the same decision, the Court overturned a fine lodged against a bar that received such kickback payments, holding that Massachusetts retailers do not violate commercial bribery regulations by accepting kickback payments. Beginning in 2013, Craft Beer Guild, LLC d/b/a Craft Brewers Guild (CBG),…
In this lunchtime talk at CiderCon 2019 (the annual conference of the US Association of Cider Makers), Marc Sorini discusses the historic development of the current legal structure regulating alcohol beverage businesses. Topics include the origins of “tied house” laws and the evolution of the three-tier system, the often-confusing status of cider under federal law, and cider’s treatment under alcohol excise tax laws. Marc’s talk begins at the 19:30 minute mark. Listen to the full …
Last week, in Connecticut Fine Wine and Spirits LLC v. Seagull, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a lower court’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit from Total Wine & More challenging parts of Connecticut’s Liquor Control Act and related regulations. Though the decision represents a victory for state alcohol regulatory regimes, the Second Circuit’s ruling was decided on the basis of established antitrust law and did not raise or rely…