We’ve been writing about eligibility criteria for licensure for the New York Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (“CAURD”) (here and here). In addition to the Office of Cannabis Management’s (the “OCM”) handy FAQ, it also recently published a scoring criterion to score eligible applicants after they have met the minimum requirements for each type of eligible
On August 4, 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden published a formal statement concerning the sentencing of U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner. Griner was just sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony and fined one million rubles. We’ve written about Griner’s case before (here and here), but to summarize, she could be spending the
Many folks in the cannabis industry – especially legacy operators – have little to no experience with corporate governance. I don't mean to say that they don't know how to run a business; they likely do. What I mean when I refer to corporate governance is the actual process of adhering to governance agreements, getting
A final judgment recently rendered in WM. Wrigley Jr. Company v. Roberto Conde, et al., is nothing short of a cautionary tale and a powerful reminder to cannabis companies: Parody is NOT a defense to trademark infringement in this type of commercial context. The parties We all know Wrigley – it’s a titan in the
Listen up friends. The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) plans to drop the hammer on bad actors in the regulated Oregon market. Or so the Commission announced in a stern news release on Friday, July 29 (the “Release”). The Release is titled “Commissioners plan to tighten ‘change of ownership’ option.” For good effect, it is subtitled
Listen up friends. The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) plans to drop the hammer on bad actors in the regulated Oregon market. Or so the Commission announced in a stern news release on Friday, July 29 (the “Release”). The Release is titled “Commissioners plan to tighten ‘change of ownership’ option.” For good effect, it
Last week, we discovered that U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker cited our own Vince Sliwoski in a letter to Merrick Garland, the U.S. Attorney General, pressing for the end of cannabis prohibition. The Warren-Booker letter, dated October 6, 2021, advocates for DEA to remove cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act— which would
Cannabis Alter Ego Liability: When Separate Companies Stop Being Separate Forming an LLC or corporation ordinarily shields its owners from the company’s debts. Cannabis operators often take that protection further by using separate entities for different stores, licenses, properties, and business lines. In many states, licensing rules and real estate arrangements make some version of
If you are applying for an adult-use cannabis license in New York, please please please hire a New York cannabis attorney. It doesn't have to be be us, but it should be someone who is actually familiar with the licensing rules and regulations beyond just reading media headlines. We've written about it before (here, here
Exciting developments lie ahead for European Union (EU) marijuana legalization. It is inevitable that marijuana legalization sweeps the globe--if you haven't seen it yet, please watch our webinar with Clifford Chance about the existing global economy of marijuana. The question is just one of timing. In Germany, as one prominent example, we're looking at legalization
