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DEA Interim Final Rule: What Is “Synthetically Derived THC”?

On Friday, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) released an Interim Final Rule (the “Rule”) that, as we discussed, threatens the hemp industry by treating partially processed hemp extract not intended for consumption (also known as “intermediary hemp”) as a Schedule I controlled substance. This is hugely problematic because intermediary hemp is an essential and necessary

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Why the DEA Hemp Rule Challenge Really Matters

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued an interim final rule on hemp (“DEA hemp rule” or “rule”) on August 20, 2020. As per the DEA’s own executive summary, the rule “merely conforms DEA’s regulations to the statutory amendments to the [Controlled Substances Act (CSA)] that have already taken effect, and it does not add additional

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TCPA Claims: Will the Supreme Court Come to the Rescue?

After we discussed TCPA claims in our last webinar, we received a few follow-up questions relating to the somewhat recent Supreme Court decision in Barr v. American Ass’n of Political Consultants (“Political Consultants”) and its impact on TCPA claims going forward. Here’s the deal: Political Consultants is not really going to have an effect on

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Will California Ever “Legalize” CBD?

It’s been a while since we’ve discussed the status of hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) in the Golden State, and unfortunately, it may be a while before we have finality on its legal status. The bulk of the issues that the state faces today go back more than two years and amazingly, still have not been solved.

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NIST and FDA May Be the Cannabis Quality Assurance Heroes We Need

Over the years, we’ve pointed out when federal agencies opt to ignore the federal illegality of cannabis. It happens more often than you might think depending on the topic (see, for example, the NLRB). One agency, though, that has surprisingly never lifted a finger against state-legal cannabis–though it is taking a closer look at CBD–is

California Ban Flavor Vapes

California May Ban Flavored Cannabis Vapes

The California legislature is considering a new law (AB-1639) that, if passed, would restrict how cannabis vape products are made and sold. AB-1639 would change California law for tobacco and cannabis businesses (for the purposes of this post, we’ll just focus on the cannabis side of the law), and would effectively prohibit almost any kind

Kamala Harris Cannabis Weed

Kamala Harris Will Help With Cannabis Reform (and That’s Good Enough For Me)

Congratulations to Senator Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s V.P. pick. Harris will become the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated for national office by a major party. It’s a huge accomplishment. It could also impact the race significantly in the coming weeks and months. What would a Vice President

Hemp CBD Certification

B Corp Certification: Another Way to Legitimize the Hemp CBD Industry?

For the past eighteen months, hemp stakeholders have been begging the federal government to regulate the hemp-derived cannabidiol (“Hemp CBD”) industry. As of date, the Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) has received over 4,000 comments from shareholders on the safety, manufacturing, product quality, marketing, labeling, and sale of Hemp CBD products. There is no doubt that a

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The Laws and Regulations on Hemp CBD in All 50 States

The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act did not affect or modify the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) or the Food and Drug Adminstration’s (“FDA”) ability to promulgate regulations and guidelines that relate to hemp under. The FDA regulates a wide variety of medical and consumer products sold in