canna law blog

Much Ado About RICO

Our Oregon lawyers have been fielding many questions regarding a recent civil RICO complaint filed in the federal court in Portland, Oregon styled as McCart v. Beddow et al. This case was filed on the heels of the Safe Streets decision out of Colorado that we discussed recently, and was clearly heavily influenced by that decision. You

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Oregon Cannabis Company Acquisitions

We have begun to see an increase in consolidation throughout the Oregon marijuana industry. Large companies from other states are moving in, and Oregon companies are buying each other’s assets or stock and integrating to form verticals. In business parlance, we have entered the scaling portion of the inevitable consolidation curve. Cannabis Company Acquisition Generally

canna law blog

Oregon Cannabis: Black and White Markets

Last month, the Oregon State Police Drug Enforcement Section published a report titled “A Baseline Evaluation of Cannabis Enforcement Priorities in Oregon.” It’s a great read. The big takeaway, as reported by The Oregonian, is that Oregon remains a top source for black market pot— despite our legal cannabis programs. Those familiar with the industry have long known this

canna law blog

Oregon Cannabis Licenses: No Seller’s Market

Individuals and companies looking to join the Oregon cannabis market often ask us lawyers whether we know of any licenses for sale. Some of these requests come from states like Washington, where licenses are no longer being issued and are frequently bought and sold. Others come from outside the regulated marijuana space altogether, from people

canna law blog

Bank Loans on Cannabis Property: Tread Carefully

My law firm represents a large number of cannabis operators in Oregon, Washington and California. Some of these operators own the land they trade on; others simply lease. Whenever we are lucky enough to meet the client before the onset of cannabis activity, our first question is often whether the target property is mortgaged, or

Flag of Oregon State, on cannabis background

Oregon Cannabis: State of the State

Last week, I spoke on an Oregon Business Magazine panel regarding the state of the Oregon cannabis industry. The event drew a diverse group of industry entrepreneurs, investors, consultants and observers, despite its 7:30 a.m. start. The panel also covered an array of topics, from state and federal regulation, to product branding and marketing, to

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Oregon Marijuana: Employee Permits and Employer Liability

In state level marijuana programs, compliance is king. Last week we wrote about the final, permanent rules for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission’s (OLCC) recreational marijuana program. In that post, we mentioned that all cannabis business employees must hold a marijuana worker permit, not just retail employees. We also mentioned that information about the permit

canna law blog

The Top 10 Things You Need to Know to Start a Cannabis Business in Oregon

This is the second installment on our state by state series on “The Top Ten Things You Need to Know to Start a Cannabis Business.” Our first entry, on Washington, is here. Today’s entry covers Oregon, a pot friendly state with two separate programs: a recreational marijuana program run by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC),

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Oregon Ban Wagon: Avoiding the Anti-Marijuana Zones

  So, here is a map. It shows Oregon cities and counties that have banned licensed recreational marijuana facilities. If you prefer an actual hit list of the opt-out counties and cities, you can find the OLCC compilation here. For a primer on how Oregon’s opt-out program works, please see our coverage here, here, here, here and here. As a general refresher,

canna law blog

Oregon Marijuana: The Banking Bill

This is the final installment in a four-part series on the new Oregon marijuana bills, all of which arrived in the recently concluded short session. If you wish to catch up, our summary of HB 4014 (abolishing residency requirements) is here, our summary of SB 1511 (medical and recreational co-location) is here, and our summary