Last week, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), issued new guidance (the "FinCEN Guidance") for financial institutions working with hemp-related businesses. The FinCEN Guidance centers on due diligence requirements as related to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). This guidance follows closely on the new National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) guidance for federally-chartered credit unions, which
Cannabis laws give landlords a unique amount of control and bargaining power over tenants. This usually translates to above-market rent and one-sided lease agreements. Fighting with landlords is no fun, especially for cannabis tenants who cannot simply relocate to a new property and must deal with their lessor for the life of a license. In
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulatory authority over hemp
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote about the uptick in cannabis business suing one another for trademark infringement (as opposed to non-cannabis companies suing cannabis companies, which happens a lot and which you can read about here, here, and here). The example at hand was the litigation between Harvest Dispensaries Cultivation & Production Facilities,
On June 29, the folks at “Yes On IP 34” announced that the Psilocybin Therapy Initiative will qualify for the ballot this November in Oregon. The campaign said it had collected over 164,000 signatures and that its recent submission of additional signatures would comfortably put the initiative above the requirements. This is exciting news! You
If you aren’t familiar with the TCPA, you should familiarize yourself with this important statute that is currently sparking a ton of litigation in the cannabis industry. The TCPA stands for the Telephone Consumer Protection Act – a statute that was passed in 1991 to fight the incessant “robocalls” that were plaguing consumers at the
Earlier this month the Canadian Federal Court handed retail toy store Toys "R" Us a victory in its trademark lawsuit alleging “depreciation of goodwill,” among other causes of action including trademark infringement and “passing off,” against B.C., Canada-based dispensary, Herbs "R" Us. For reference, the two logos can be seen above. Toys "R" Us was
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) regulatory authority over hemp
On June 23, 2020, John Elias, a career Department of Justice (DOJ) official, submitted written testimony to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary (the Committee) in response to a Congressional investigation into the politicization of the DOJ office under Attorney General William Barr. Elias claims Barr directed the DOJ's Antitrust Division (the Division) to
Last week, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) issued new guidance (“Guidance”) for federally-chartered credit unions serving the hemp industry. All of us at Harris Sliwoski were excited to see the Guidance released: NCUA retained us last fall to advise the government on this project, and we have always represented credit union clients as to
