Director of Policy
Canna Law Blog

Meet New York’s Cannabis Director of Policy

As part of New York Cannabis Control Board’s (CCB) meeting on August 15, 2022, the CCB proposed and approved John Kagia as the Office of Cannabis Management’s Director of Policy. Given the expansive and stratified plans for New York’s adult-use cannabis industry (with the general ban on vertical integration, emphasis on social equity and advanced

DCC inspections
Canna Law Blog

California Cannabis: Get Ready for DCC Inspections

California’s Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is the state’s primary cannabis regulatory authority. DCC’s predecessor agencies often gave several days’ advance notice before an inspection. Since its formation, DCC has taken a vastly different – and more aggressive – approach to cannabis inspections. Our California cannabis team is now seeing drop-in, no notice DCC inspections

cannabis ballot measures
Canna Law Blog

Elections 2022: Cannabis Ballot Measures

Election season is coming. This means that cannabis ballot measures, initiatives, initiated proposals, legislative proposals, etc. are moving to the fore. I won’t set out to explain the differences among the several state protocols. You’d leave. In the cannabis context, suffice it to say that “ballot measures” are somehow convoluted and dramatic all at once.

florida cannabis initiative
Canna Law Blog

2024: Adult Use Marijuana in Florida

In 2024, we may finally see adult-use marijuana in Florida. This week, Smart & Safe Florida, a non-profit political organization, filed its ballot initiative, “Adult Personal Use of Marijuana“, with the  Division of Elections to legalize the adult use of marijuana in Florida. Make it Legal Florida already unsuccessfully tried to get adult use on

l.a. county cannabis tax
Canna Law Blog

L.A. County Commercial Cannabis Tax Measure is Here

L.A. County commercial cannabis is finally coming in 2023. We covered the breaking news about L.A. County commercial cannabis regulations here. This is a huge deal, because L.A. County is the biggest county in the U.S. with over 9 million residents. L.A. County plans to allow the following businesses in in its borders in 2023:

ncsl cannabis legalization directive
Canna Law Blog

States to Feds: End Cannabis Prohibition Now

After a vote last week, the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) adopted a revised cannabis policy measure (the “Directive“) which supports federally descheduling cannabis, as well as cannabis banking reform. At this point, it’s abundantly clear that the states have moved beyond cannabis prohibition. The NCSL is a non-partisan organization that represents all state

agentina hemp medical cannabis
Canna Law Blog

Argentina: New Law Over Old Thinking

Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies has approved a law to regulate the hemp and medical cannabis industries. According to one of the bill’s sponsors, “a new industry has been born in Argentina” with the passage of the bill (which we flagged last summer in Legalization in Latin America: Who’s Next After Mexico?). The new law enjoyed

state cannabis regulation
Canna Law Blog

Ten Recommendations for State Cannabis Regulation

Unfazed by the federal leadership vacuum on cannabis, states continue to roll out cannabis proposals and programs. A total of 34 states considered cannabis reform proposals in 2021. Another 32 proposals (some of them pre-filed in 2021) are up for discussion here in 2022. These proposals range from limited decriminalization measures to comprehensive, adult use

d.c. cannabis gift
Canna Law Blog

Is D.C.’s Cannabis “Gifting Economy” In Trouble?

Last week, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson called a vote on emergency legislation that aimed, in part, to give the Council the authority to shut down any business that gifts marijuana. Although the proposed bill did not pass (by only one vote), Mendelson’s bill reveals ongoing tension regarding D.C.’s legally questionable cannabis “gifting economy” and

equity compensation cannabis business
Canna Law Blog

Equity Compensation for Cannabis Employees

Previously we wrote about equity compensation for cannabis employees from the perspective of companies. We have been dealing with more and more companies adding equity to their overall compensation scheme, so now is a good time to revisit it from the employee perspective. For an overview of the types of equity compensation available, see here.