On Tuesday, July 21, the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") released draft guidance for clinical research related to the development and manufacturing of cannabis-based drugs, which gained particular interest following the legalization of hemp in December 2018. Although the guidance does not cover other FDA-regulated products, such as hemp-derived CBD ("Hemp CBD")-infused foods and dietary
Given that cannabis remains federally illegal in the United States (despite the fact that more than a majority of states have some form of cannabis legal reform), we get pretty excited when we see other countries undertake legalization experiments at the federal level. Canada was the first country to legalize commercial licensing for the cultivation,
Over the last couple of years, our firm has seen a massive uptick in cannabis-related trademark litigation, and have handled many of these disputes on behalf of our clients, both as stand-alone matters and in conjunction with partnership disputes. Here are a few of the trademark disputes we’ve covered recently (our blog archives are full
Indiana has long been at the forefront of hemp product regulations. Two years ago in 2018, Indiana passed a comprehensive law that regulated “low-THC hemp extracts.” At the time, state-level regulation of CBD was mostly limited to medical marijuana programs in conservative states that only allowed CBD extracts for use by medical patients. Very few
Even before COVID-19 entered our lives, it was clear that more and more businesses were realizing the importance of engaging with consumers online. Now, as most are forced to limit their in-person activities or shut them down altogether, we are seeing an even sharper trend in businesses investing in their online presence – especially with
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”) legalized hemp by removing hemp and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”). The 2018 Farm Bill also provided a detailed framework for the production of hemp and directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) to promulgate regulations and permitted
Earlier this year, we discussed the legality of lesser-known hemp-derived cannabinoids which appeared to be gaining success in the U.S. One of these promising cannabinoids is cannabinol (“CBN”). Put simply, CBN is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid that results from the degradation of THC. Because it is difficult, if not impossible, to grow CBN-rich strains of hemp,
Israel is among the world's leaders in the medical and non-medical cannabis research and development (R&D). Israeli scientists made breakthrough discoveries in the mid-twentieth century, paving the way for the country being one of the early adopters of a medical cannabis program. Now, Israel is gearing up to legalize recreational cannabis and export cannabis across
On Wednesday, July 8, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent Congress a report on the CBD marketplace. Last year, Congress mandated that the FDA report on hemp-derived CBD in appropriations legislation. You can find the report linked at the bottom of this article from Marijuana Moment, which also provides an overview of the report.
On Wednesday, July 8, 2020, a bipartisan group of sixteen state treasurers, led by Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read, sent a letter to congressional leaders requesting that the next piece of COVID-19 relief legislation include the SAFE Banking Act. The letter prominently cites both the well-known and new safety issues that come into play when forcing
