We work with international cannabis companies that operate in the U.S., and we regularly field inquiries from others who want to enter the U.S. market. Some are already selling into the U.S. market through an intermediary like a broker or a sales agent. In the United States, there are four main ways to enter the
Like companies in any other industry, licensed cannabis companies typically carry insurance and sometimes find themselves at odds with their cannabis business insurers. Those companies purchase a policy to cover a specific risk for a stated premium and when that risk presents itself, their business insurers suddenly have fine-print explanations for everything. In these situations,
It should come as no surprise that the number of applications for cannabis patents has been steadily increasing in recent years. In this post we discuss the basics of the subject, with a focus in the United States. While patent systems usually bear some similarities, some of the details may be different in other countries.
When issues arise, many people think filing a lawsuit is the answer. That will initiate the litigation process, which will most likely involve an exchange of information and documents, the process of taking depositions, and probably some motion practice along the way. While in some cases it certainly is, we typically counsel new clients (and
Yesterday, March 31, 2022, the House of Representatives again voted to end federal prohibition of marijuana by removing it from the list of banned substances. The bill—the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (the MORE Act)—passed by a vote of 220-204, largely along party lines. Next the bill goes to the Senate for approval, where
In anticipation of today’s scheduled vote on the MORE Act by the U.S. House of Representatives, the Biden Administration just announced that cannabis is now decriminalized, and that all federal cannabis convictions are hereby expunged. Actually, none of that is true. Sorry! It’s what passes for an April Fools joke here at the Canna Law
During a recent interview, Puerto Rico Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve (of the conservative Proyecto Dignidad) expressed her misgivings about the legalization of adult-use cannabis. As I have made clear before on this blog, Puerto Rico’s failure to fully legalize cannabis strikes me as dreadfully self-defeating. At a time when the island is in dire need
Data reveal a concerning increase in violent crime in many U.S. cities during COVID in 2020 and 2021. Increasingly, cannabis businesses, particularly dispensaries, are targets for robbery or other criminal activity. The reason that cannabis businesses are being hit particularly hard is not hard to fathom. Federal law still treats cannabis as a Schedule I
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.
These days, everyone is throwing a hat into the ring of cannabis reform. Many ideas are floating around; some of them are not so hot. Last week’s federal legislative activity is a good example of this. Two things happened on the same day: the Senate unanimously passed the CMRE Act (Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion
