On July 22, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“LCB”) issued a notice of adoption of an interpretive statement (the “Notice”) in which the agency clarified authorized practices for marijuana processor licensees. The Notice stipulates that licensed marijuana processors cannot legally convert cannabidiol (“CBD”) into delta-9 THC because their license privileges do not allow
This week, Governor Newsom took a major step in reforming California's (pretty tortured) cannabis licensing program by signing into law Assembly Bill 141, which generally consolidates all cannabis licensing and oversight into the Department of Cannabis Control ("DCC"). In our view, centralizing all licensing and regulatory oversight into a single agency in California is a
On Tuesday, June 8, the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies' Special Commission very narrowly approved a bill authorizing cannabis cultivation for medicinal, veterinary, scientific, and industrial use. Government supporters tried their best to prevent the legislation from heading to the upper house for final approval, but Deputy Luciano Ducci's crucial vote ensured the bill survived. While
In all of the hubbub over New York’s legalization of adult-use (i.e. recreational cannabis), not a lot of ink has been spilled over the expansion of New York's medical cannabis program. As a brief refresher, New York first legalized medical cannabis in 2016. Since then, only 10 organizations (ROs), have been issued registrations. We are
On May 13, the health committee of Spain's Congress of Deputies approved a proposal to create a subcommittee that will consider other countries' experiences with medical cannabis. The subcommittee's findings could pave the way for medical cannabis legalization in Spain. According to a recent poll, approximately 90% of Spaniards would favor such a move. Spain
Clients have often as asked whether HIPAA applies to the cannabis industry. As with anything else in healthcare, the answer can be complex. HIPAA was enacted in 1996 to help protect a patient’s healthcare information. While HIPAA is expansive, to the extent state law is more restrictive or protective, then state law will control in
In January 2020, Governor Newsom announced that he intended to have the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), California Department of Food and Agriculture's CalCannabis Program (CDFA), and California Department of Public Health's Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch (CDPH), consolidated into a single cannabis agency: the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) (as summarized in the Governor's 2021
Today is that hallowed cultural holiday for the cannabis industry, 4/20. Of all of the 4/20's of the past, this one hits a little different (although 2015 was a nice year, too). We have seen so much political change in support of cannabis, including state-by-state legalization in the past year. We've also seen some fun,
The state-legal cannabis industry is often a cutthroat place. State cannabis regulations are difficult to navigate and it usually takes significant capital to get a cannabis business up and running. And even once operating, margins get shrunk by aggressive and unfair federal taxes and limited access to banking. To top it off, cannabis is still
I absolutely loved Washington State when I lived there. I lived in Seattle for seven years and was one of the first attorneys in the state to take on medical cannabis business clients in 2010 and then again with adult use clients in 2012 when I-502 passed. Our law firm is a pioneer in the
