On November 18, 2019, Florida Senator Lori Berman (D) introduced Senate Bill 962, which proposes to provide job applicants and employees who use medical marijuana various protections in employment. If enacted, Florida would join the growing number of states to pass laws with similar protections, including most recently in Illinois.…

In its largest mass enforcement action involving cannabidiol (CBD) yet, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced on November 25 the issuance of 15 warning letters to various companies for illegally selling products containing CBD.  In addition to the letters, the FDA published a revised Consumer Update detailing safety concerns about CBD products more broadly.  Notably, the FDA commented that it “plans to provide an update on its progress regarding the agency’s approach to…

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. Those in the marijuana industry in California will face a higher tax bill in January.  The 15% tax rate will remain the same, but it will be based on a markup rate of 80%, rather than the current 60%. We’ve reported previously on groups pushing for a legalization initiative in Florida.  Not everyone in the Sunshine State…

The Illinois General Assembly passed SB 1557, revising the language of the Recreational Cannabis Law to reduce but not completely eliminate employer liabilities. As we previously blogged, the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (410 ILCS 705) (the “Legalization Act”) will legalize recreational cannabis for Illinois adults starting January 1, 2020. The Legalization Act specifically allows Illinois employers to enforce “reasonable zero tolerance or drug free workplace policies, or employment policies concerning drug testing,…

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. Let’s start off on Capitol Hill, where the MORE Act made its way out of the House Judiciary Committee this week.  This bill would end the federal prohibition of cannabis and remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act.  Of course, we’re still a long way from legalization; see the iconic “I’m Just a Bill” video,…

Businesses should take note of recent developments in the CBD space. Consumer protection regulatory agencies issued another joint warning to a company selling CBD products making allegedly unsubstantiated claims. And, the FDA continues to stick to its public position that it is working toward both understanding the impact of CBD on users and crafting an effective regulatory framework. Despite this activity, Congressional leaders are still nipping at the heels of the FDA. Senator Chuck Schumer…

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. The southeast was a hotbed of marijuana-related activity this week.  In Florida, Make It Legal’s ballot initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis gathered enough signatures to trigger a Supreme Court review. In Georgia, the state’s top elected officials appointed members to a board that will issue licenses to companies to grow and sell medical marijuana. Meanwhile,…