Huge news yesterday. Huge! The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has officially recommended that marijuana be rescheduled, from Schedule I to Schedule III of the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This means that the country’s top health agency has finally conceded that cannabis has medical value, and isn’t a drug of abuse
It’s no secret that the cannabis industry is on a steep decline in a variety of states, including California. We have time and again written about the specific woes plaguing the California cannabis industry. High taxes, a staggering credit crunch and collections problems, receiverships, rampant local prohibition, overregulation by the state, and the raging illegal
Over the last five years, I’ve done countless compliance reviews for cannabis product and CBD product labels, packaging materials, and products themselves. In all cases – not most, all – cannabis product labels needed at least one change. Product type, shape, and ingredients often needed work. And even packaging material has had plenty of issues.
Last week, Marijuana Moment reported on a new Arkansas law that would protect medical cannabis users’ gun rights. This law is the most recent in a series of attempts by states to get around federal gun control laws that prohibit cannabis users from owning or buying guns. It won’t work. I’ve written extensively on the
It could soon be illegal to smoke marijuana in public if some New York politicians have their way. New York Assemblyman Michael Novakhov and Senator Mario R. Mattera are co-sponsors of a new bill that would ban the public use of cannabis unless a local government opts in to permit such public use. As it
One of the most important business decisions cannabis businesses need to make is whether to lease or buy real estate. I have worked on too many cannabis real estate transactions to count. And in my experience, the vast majority are leases. Today I want to look the top three reasons why that’s the case. #1
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) released a rules guide on July 14, “outlining regulations of products containing THC”. The guide is titled “Discontinued Sales of Products Containing THC by Businesses that Do Not Hold a Cannabis License” and it relates to recently enacted SB 5367, which we’ve been following closely. As we
California has the biggest legal cannabis market in the world – it’s a larger economy than some small nations. But while the Golden State’s regulated market is massive, it’s illegal market is far bigger. California has a big illegal cannabis market problem Back in 2019, I quoted reports that there were 3,000 illegal businesses in
California’s cannabis laws are a textbook example of what a state shouldn’t do. And one of the best examples of this is California’s distribution licenses. These licenses were unnecessary from the get go, and the recent developments have only made that reality more apparent. It’s time for the state to end distribution licensing and simplify
Federal law prohibits cannabis users from owning or possessing firearms. There are a host of federal court cases that may find these prohibitions an unconstitutional violation of cannabis users’ gun rights. But even if courts find these laws unconstitutional, many cannabis users could still face other federal government hurdles and restrictions. If you are not
