Vapes. E-cigarettes. Mexico! Like a lot of people, my brother-in-law is trying to quit smoking. And like a lot of people, he’s not having much success. Which is why a few weeks ago I was sitting in the dining room of a hotel in Florida and he was standing outside on the balcony, sucking on
Here's a scenario our cannabis lawyers and litigation team have experienced countless times: A client calls and wants to take immediate action for breach of a cannabis contract. They want to terminate the contract. Or evict a tenant. Or file a lawsuit. The first question I always ask these clients is whether the contract contains
For the past year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has directed its attention to the cannabis industry-- in a helpful way! This includes promulgation of cannabis tax guidelines as well as webinars and public forums dedicated to tax compliance for marijuana businesses (together, the "Guidelines"). The stated IRS goal here is “to positively impact filing
Ask any good lawyer the question, "is cannabis corporate governance important?" The answer will be a resounding yes. So why is it often ignored? Why do so many cannabis businesses treat governance as a box to tick on a checklist just once? Here's a fact pattern our cannabis attorneys have seen time and time again:
California cannabis taxes continue to plague the industry. California cannabis taxes are undoubtedly high (although not the highest in the country). The truth is that that's not changing anytime soon. A few weeks ago, I did an interview with KCRW where operators bemoaned the current California cannabis tax situation. Their complaints are warranted given the
Listen HERE or stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or Soundcloud! At Harris Sliwoski, we keep close tabs on what is happening around the world, and we know that our friends and clients do, as well. We are happy to provide this podcast series: Global Law and Business, hosted by international attorneys Fred Rocafort and Jonathan Bench, where we look at the world
With the approval of the Authority on the Responsible Use of Cannabis Act (the "Act"), legal cannabis in Malta has arrived. The Mediterranean island nation is the first in the European Union to legalize adult-use cannabis. Medical cannabis has been legal in Malta since 2018. 1. What Is Now Legal? The Act permits the cultivation of up
Lately I have been spending a lot of time engaging with clients who are dealing with cannabis investors. I work with companies and investors. Between public and private cannabis companies, the suite of investors runs the gamut from friends and family to key employees, executives, and board members with equity and synthetic equity grants, to
Federal cannabis trademark litigation is a difficult proposition. In a recent case filed by Wunderwerks, Inc., a company that sells beverages infused with CBD and THC additives, we see another unfortunate example of this. Federal courts, at least, are still no friend to the cannabis industry. Wunderwerks had sued Dual Beverage Company LLC (“DBC”) in
The CBD Product Safety and Standardization Act (the Act) indicates that the Feds might regulate CBD as a food ingredient, and that it may lead to regulation of other cannabinoids. If the Feds regulate CBD as a food ingredient, it could seriously change the game (in a good way) for hemp CBD companies. On December
