california easement

California Appeals Court Rejects Marijuana Grow Permit, Citing Federal Illegality

In a landmark decision that highlights the tension between state and federal cannabis laws, a California appellate court ruled on October 29th that property owners can refuse to allow the transportation of cannabis across their land via easements, even when the cannabis operation is approved by local authorities. The Second District Court of Appeal’s unanimous

cannabis law misinformation

Cannabis Law is Chaotic: Avoiding Misinformation Online

The internet is a badlands of misinformation on cannabis law and policy. Less than stellar takes may be amplified on news sites, giving them a veneer of authority. Social media platforms, from X to LinkedIn (where all the pros are said to be) don’t have nonsense filters. This dynamic is not new! However, things reached

liabilities

Cannabis M&A: Protecting Against Undisclosed Liabilities

When someone buys a cannabis business, and not just that business’s assets, they essentially inherit all of its liabilities. And there are usually a lot. If the business is in the midst of a lawsuit, owes back taxes, is behind on rent, etc., the buyer will need to deal with those problems on its own–unless

marijuana social equity

California Awards $12 Million In Local Cannabis Equity Grants To Repair Drug War Harms

California’s path to cannabis social equity: from arrests to advocacy Data from the California Department of Justice reveals that nearly half a million individuals were arrested on cannabis charges in the state between 2006 and 2015. Even after Governor Schwarzenegger authorized a statewide decriminalization program in 2010, thousands continued to face serious misdemeanor charges related

missouri cannabis social equity

Missouri Revokes Nine Social Equity Licenses

The need for social equity in cannabis programs As adult-use cannabis legalization sweeps across the country and America confronts the toll of previous, draconian cannabis policies, one of the best attempts to right abject wrongs is social equity programs within state cannabis industries. Unfortunately though, social equity programs are easily exploited and “loopholed.” Licenses have

Magnifying glass focusing on a document titled "cannabis contract" with an authority's cannabis leaf symbol in the background.

Cannabis Contracts 101: Authority and Why it Matters

Cannabis contracts are – in the simplest sense – binding agreements between two parties. But how you get to something being “binding” can be complicated. And in the cannabis industry, where things move a mile a second and people often overlook basic contract requirements, the results can be disastrous. Today I want to focus on

cannabis industry

California’s Cannabis Industry Conundrum and the Road Ahead

Despite continuously surpassing every other state with recreational cannabis in terms of total retail sales, California’s cannabis industry has faced continuous and far-reaching issues on multiple levels that have only spread even further. From declining sales that result in hundreds of millions less in total retail sales to a massive illicit market that the state

washington cannabis

Washington May Raise the Minimum Age for High THC Cannabis Purchases

Washington House Bill 2320 Washington State has often led the way in progressive cannabis policies. However, the introduction of House Bill 2320 by the Washington State legislature could mark a pivotal shift in this trajectory. This bipartisan bill proposes to raise the minimum age to 25 years for purchasing and consuming products containing 35% or

thca

Thoughts on THCA, Interstate Sales…. and Oregon

Friend of the firm Andrew DeWeese published a recent LinkedIn post on Oregon’s outlying stance on THCA the other day, and the priorities of local industry advocates. I wanted to highlight that post and discuss today– it’s a compelling post and I have all sorts of thoughts about it. Here it is: Let’s break it