Jack Scrantom

Jack coordinates the firm’s cannabis business practice in Washington State, by assisting clients in navigating the complex licensing and regulatory system created by Initiative 502. He has counseled numerous companies through compliance and transactional issues including M&A, license transfers, real estate financing, distribution agreements, and goods and services agreements. In addition to his cannabis practice, Jack also advises clients on a wide range of matters at the intersection of business and immigration, including specialty investment and employment visa issues and administrative advocacy.

washington thc

Washington Releases Rules Guidance on SB 5367 (Products Containing THC)

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) released a rules guide on July 14, “outlining regulations of products containing THC”. The guide is titled “Discontinued Sales of Products Containing THC by Businesses that Do Not Hold a Cannabis License” and it relates to recently enacted SB 5367, which we’ve been following closely. As we

ddt contamination

Washington’s Cannabis DDE Contamination Issue Resolved, For Now

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) issued a bulletin Monday, July 7 stating that its enforcement efforts related to the April DDE contamination alert had been wrapped up. Earlier this year, in April, a slew of Okanogan county licensees’ cannabis products tested “hot” during the Washington Department of Agriculture’s (WSDA) random testing for

washington cbd

Washington Upends Its CBD Industry

Last month, Washington governor Jay Inslee signed SB 5367, a largely unpublicized bill “concerning the regulation of products containing THC”. Among other things, the bill amends the definition of “cannabis product” in the state’s Controlled Substances Act to include products with any detectable amount of THC concentration. Selling such CBD products will require licensure by

ddt

Pesticide “DDT” Derivative Found in Several WA Cannabis Products

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“WSLCB”) sent an alert on Thursday, April 6, notifying cannabis licensees of a pattern of pesticide testing failures in Okanogan County. The WSLCB detected several instances of products containing dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (“DDE”) through random pesticide testing and many exceed action levels. The WSLCB is taking the following immediate action

washington social equity in cannabis

Washington’s Social Equity in Cannabis License Application Window Extended

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) voted on Wednesday, March 29, approving an emergency rule proposal to extend the application window for social equity in cannabis (SEIC) retail licenses. The application window has been extended from March 30, 2023, to 5:00 p.m. April 27, 2023. The rule will have the effect of amending

SEC Rule 504 Exemptions in Cannabis Offerings

Are 504 Private Placement Security Offerings Allowed in Cannabis Businesses?

We’ve written regularly about the plight of cannabis businesses not being able to secure traditional lending (and other financial services) from major, federally regulated institutions. In this post, we dive deeper into a promising federally regulated equity offering as an alternative funding means: Rule 504 under Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Regulation D. Why aren’t

cannabis immigration EB-5

Publicly Traded Cannabis Company Plans $500M (!) EB-5 Raise (!!)

Cannabis and business immigration don’t mix. Or at least that’s the conservative guidance we often give clients that come to us with that question. That’s not because a particular investment may not be sound, rather because federal law creates inherent conflicts between immigration eligibility and participating in a cannabis venture. Kate Robertson at MJBizDaily reported

washington cannabis dia map

Washington LCB Updates DIA Map for Social Equity Cannabis Licensees

On February 2, 2023, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“LCB”) released an update regarding the interactive mapping tool for determining whether people meet have lived in Disproportionately Impacted Areas (“DIA”). As we wrote about here, having lived in a DIA for at least five years between 1980 and 2010 is one of three

washington social equity cannabis

Washington Social Equity In Cannabis Licensing Window Opens March 1

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“WSLCB”) announced this Wednesday, January 18, that the 30 day window to apply for a Washington Social Equity In Cannabis Retail License will open March 1, 2023. The WSLCB will reissue 44 retail licenses to qualified applicants that rank the highest on a points scale to “prioritize” applicants.

washington cannabis social equity

Washington LCB Releases Disproportionately Impacted Area Map for Social Equity Licensees

Yesterday, January 13, 2023, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“LCB”) released an interactive mapping tool for determining whether people meet have lived in Disproportionately Impacted Areas (“DIA”)–one of three eligibility criteria for the forthcoming Social Equity in Cannabis (“SEIC”) program licensing. The map can be found by a link on the LCB’s website,