The Canna Law Blog is a forum for discussing the practical aspects of cannabis law and its impacts on the cannabis industry. We provide insight into how cannabis businesspeople can use the law to their advantage and in plain language we tell you what works and what does not. We aim to help you strategize how to wield the law as both a shield and a sword.
On February 28th, we put on a webinar on “Distressed Cannabis Businesses” webinar. In that webinar, Griffen, Ethan, and Vince discussed the current financial and economic pressure the entire cannabis industry is facing today. We covered reorganization, litigation, dissolution, M&A, receivership, secured interests, and liquidation. And we of course discussed how state-by-state cannabis regulations impacts all
As New York moves steadily closer to a fully rolled out adult-use cannabis industry, two New York state legislators recently proposed legislation that would significantly simplify the tax structure for adult-use cannabis. Under the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), New York would have charged a potency THC tax on all adult-use cannabis, plus an
Here comes more New York cannabis program litigation. After one lawsuit halted a significant portion of New York Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) program, a new lawsuit filed on March 16, 2023 by the Coalition for Access to Regulated & Safe Cannabis against the Cannabis Control Board (CCB), Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), CCB
In the U.S., cocaine is a Schedule II controlled substance and its use, possession, etc. is illegal except for certain, limited medical applications. The licensed sale of cocaine for recreational use is not even remotely a concept in the U.S., and the same goes for Canada. Why then did we see a Canadian cannabis company
Continuing our series on New York’s cannabis rules and regulations, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about New York’s cannabis processor licenses (check out our other posts in the series here, here, here, and here). Because there is so much information packed into the regs, we’re doing this FAQ style. What are the
REGISTER HERE Hemp goods and services may now be eligible for trademark licensing and protection, though many CBD products remain unlawful at the federal level. Meanwhile, marijuana continues to be a Schedule I drug, but is legal in an increasing number of states. The legal status of cannabis impacts trademarks and may be problematic for
As we previously broadly summarized on December 27, 2022 (here), in late December 2022, the Office of Cannabis Management (“OCM”) released its first proposed adult-use cannabis rules and regulation for New York (the “Proposed Regulations”). The official document is 282 pages, so we won’t cover every detail. But we will highlight the big-ticket items, significant issues that
If you’ve been to the red light district in Amsterdam, you may have seen the infamous coffee shops up and down the block. In the U.S., no state has anything remotely close to a cannabis bar or coffee shop where you go to not only purchase your cannabis on site but use it within the
Not much thought is given to ancillary CBD liability. Why is that? Probably because the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) hasn’t taken any serious enforcement action against any company or individual that aids and abets violations of the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (the “Act”) when it comes to CBD. Still, secondary CBD liability under
As New York cannabis retail licensing proceeds at a snail’s pace, countless businesses are openly selling marijuana products out of unlicensed stores and smoke shops. It is obvious to anyone walking through New York City that the city has been unable to reign in these “businesses.” After allegedly sending cease and desist notices to those
