What comes to mind when you think of Amsterdam? Typically, Van Gogh, historic churches, beautiful canals, and marijuana. Amsterdam is famous for its “coffee shops,” where patrons can purchase and consume marijuana on-site. In light of the success of recent legalization efforts on this side of the Atlantic, we have to ask: where are America’s
We talk a lot on this blog about branding challenges and limitations unique to marijuana businesses. For some of our previous posts on this topic, check out the following: Organic Marijuana: Not Exactly Mirth Provisions Hits it Big with Branding Cold Brew Coffee Protect Your Cannabis Brand with a Trademark Cannabis Branding. Because it is
Earlier this week, Federal Judge Kimberly Mueller denied a motion to declare unconstitutional marijuana's listing as a Schedule 1 drug. Schedule I drugs have no recognized medical value, have a high potential for abuse, and cannot be safely administered even under a doctor’s supervision. To put it bluntly, no sane person believes any of those things. We
The media is currently abuzz about the inadequacy of lab testing for marijuana and marijuana infused products, which once again raises a critical issue for business owners: lawsuits. There are circumstances under which marijuana producers, processors and retailers alike can be held liable for a defective product, even without any knowledge of the defect. Anyone
Marijuana businesses -- just like other businesses -- impact our environment. Environmental laws relating to water rights, energy consumption, pollution, and overall carbon footprint all can and do impact marijuana businesses. Environmental laws typically focus on containing or preventing pollution and disciplining corporate polluters, but they also cover the regulation of natural resources, environmental impacts,
As so many of you know, few landlords are willing to rent to marijuana businesses. They are afraid of the very real possibility of losing their property in a federal civil asset forfeiture action. The federal government has been known to seize property being used for cultivating, manufacturing, or selling marijuana. In the last seven
One of my clients sent me a link to this story, asking me to comment on whether it was really newsworthy. My response was not really; the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) decision to allow a listing of Terra Tech Corp. is not a major surprise. It is progress, yes, but it was also somewhat inevitable,
The federal government continues to surprise us with its varied treatment of marijuana: this time by federally recognizing marijuana workers' rights. Specifically, the National Labor Relations Board (for the second time) is preparing to hear marijuana workers' allegations against their New Jersey medical marijuana dispensary employer for retaliation, union-busting, and unfair working conditions. That hearing is
Our cannabis lawyers been asked several times in the past couple of weeks whether we have any opinion on a Washington Superior Court decision that came out earlier this month that grappled with the interplay of government regulation and commercial free speech. There’s no copy of that Superior Court opinion available online, but in this
Our cannabis lawyers are often asked what it takes to purchase or sell a marijuana business license. This question from our clients sometimes comes up during their license application phase and it sometimes comes up after their licensing has been finalized. People tend to think of marijuana licenses as fungible commodities. This makes sense, as most
