canna law blog

Marijuana Decriminalization Versus Legalization: A Difference That Matters

Many people use decriminalization and legalization synonymously and interchangeably, and that’s not correct. Decriminalization essentially means that a given activity no longer qualifies as criminal conduct and can only be treated as a civil infraction, but that activity is unregulated. Legalization ultimately means the ability to lawfully regulate a given activity, as well as the

canna law blog

They Said It On Marijuana, Quotable Saturday, Part XVIII

We know that most of you are no doubt already familiar with what Bill Clinton said on marijuana when he was running for President, but we thought now would be a good time to bring it up again since he will be appearing on Meet the Press tomorrow to discuss, among other things, marijuana.  Anyway, for the

canna law blog

Marijuana Edibles In Washington State: The NEW Rules You NEED To Know

Washington State’s Liquor Control Board issued new “emergency” rules yesterday, mostly dealing with marijuana-infused food products, commonly called edibles.  The rules were a reaction to recent stories of individuals who ingested too much cannabis from their edibles (see Maureen Dowd’s story here), and of children mistaking cannabis candy for the real thing. If you are making edibles for

canna law blog

They Said It On Marijuana, Quotable Saturday, Part XVI

“We’re the people who love drugs, the people who hate drugs and the people who don’t give a damn about drugs.”  Ethan Nadelmann, on those who support his Drug Policy Alliance. We are always arguing that if national legalization is to succeed, we will need a big tent of those who favor it. In other

canna law blog

Marijuana Business Valuations: Still Mostly an Art, not a Science

For many marijuana business owners, return on investment is based more on its exit value than on its net profits. This is particularly true for minorityshareholders not involved in the business’s day to day operations; their goal is to build up the business as much as possible so as to maximize its sale value. Think

canna law blog

They Said It On Marijuana, Quotable Saturday, Part XV

This week’s quote comes from Morgan Freeman, and it is so simple and so dead-bang obvious that it verges on boring. But sometimes, it bears repeating the incredibly obvious, especially when said by someone really famous. Why not just legalize it and tax it like we do liquor? Good question….

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They Said It On Marijuana, Quotable Saturday, Part XIV

Because we are always calling for marijuana to be examined on scientific grounds, we are always happy to see scientists endorse it. Dr. Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and professor at Columbia University, recently declared his shift on marijuana: I grew up like most of my generation believing that marijuana was something Satan was throwing at Americans, a communist

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They Said It On Marijuana, Quotable Saturday, Part XIII

Even the FBI seems ready to re-think its policy of prioritizing marijuana eradication over hiring good people. A Wall Street Journal article entitled, FBI Grappling With Hiring Policy Concerning Marijuana notes how “Congress has authorized the FBI to add 2,000 personnel to its rolls this year, and many of those new recruits will be assigned to tackle cybercrimes,

canna law blog

No Federal Irrigation Water for Marijuana Growers

Though the Department of Justice has been sticking by its promise to stand down when it comes to legalized marijuana, its sister agencies have been dragging their feet. The newest cannabis foe to line up beside the IRS and the Department of Treasury? The Bureau of Reclamation. While some of you have probably never heard