canna law blog

Los Angeles Cannabis: Don't Forget Your Social Equity Business Agreements

Applicants who qualify for commercial cannabis licensure during Phase II of the City of L.A.'s cannabis licensing process only have until September 13 to get their applications into the Department of Cannabis Regulation ("DCR"). This phase of licensing is reserved for existing, non-retail, social equity applicants. To get a license during this phase, the DCR

canna law blog

California Cannabis Distributors and Motor Carrier Permits

Oftentimes in the marijuana industry, licensees forget or don't believe that existing federal, state, and local laws apply to their cannabis operations. For example, things like ADA and OSHA compliance get overlooked where the thinking can be, "I'm already violating one federal law, so I don't have to comply with other, existing federal or state

canna law blog

California Cannabis Leasing: Landlord Pitfalls

We’ve written previously about some common issues landlords run into when leasing to cannabis businesses (see links at the bottom of this article). Now that we’ve seen almost a year’s worth of emergency regulations, and the state has released its proposed final regulations, we’ve also seen a variety of cannabis leasing issues crop up. Here

canna law blog

Trademark Considerations for Your Celebrity Cannabis Licensing Deals

I’ve worked on many celebrity licensing and endorsement deals, and my firm's cannabis intellectual property lawyers have received countless inquiries from companies looking to partner with one celebrity or another. And while the best of the deals can be very lucrative (and interesting) for everyone involved, plenty of them fizzle out for one reason or

canna law blog

The United Nations is FINALLY Taking a Hard Look at Cannabis

Cannabis prohibition under U.S. federal law is nonsensical and causes many problems, from oppressive taxation to civil rights violations. Under international law, however, things may be even worse. Fortunately, it was reported this week that the United Nations (U.N.) will finally take a closer look at cannabis prohibition this fall. It was also reported that the

canna law blog

Cannabis, Tariffs and Vaping Imports from China

Like so many other U.S. industries, the U.S. vaping industry is now in the crosshairs of a 25% tariff on products imported from China. The first two waves of President Trump’s proposed tariffs against China covered about $50 billion worth of Chinese products but they did not include any vaping products. After China retaliated and

canna law blog

BREAKING NEWS: First Cannabis Patent Lawsuit Filed

In previous posts, we've puzzled about why no one has filed a cannabis patent infringement case, despite the large number of patents granted for cannabis plants and compounds. See here, and here. That all changed last week. United Cannabis Corporation ("UCANN") has now filed what is believed to be the first cannabis patent infringement complaint.

canna law blog

Dirty Dancing: Flips and Tricks of Cannabis Social Equity in L.A.

Phase II cannabis licensing in the City of Los Angeles (for only non-retail activity) kicked off on August 1 at 12 p.m. (and it will conclude on September 13th). To qualify for a City of Los Angeles cannabis license during this timeframe, an applicant must, among other things, be eligible for the City's cannabis social equity program. This

canna law blog

Start Your Engines for California Cannabis Recalls

Now that the MAUCRSA transition period is over and full cannabis testing is in the works, we can fully expect California marijuana companies to start engaging in recalls of certain products for a variety of reasons. In fact, a voluntary recall has already been initiated by The Bloom Brand where an impermissible pesticide (Myclobutanil) was

canna law blog

Testing the Limits of Federalism: Federal Appeals Court Says Using Medical Marijuana on Supervised Release is a Bridge Too Far

Cannabis has remained federally illegal at the same time states continue to legalize cannabis in one form or another. As a result of legalization, private parties enter and perform contracts, loan and borrow money, and convey leasehold property rights in ways that involve cannabis. These contracts affect and depend upon millions of dollars in assets,

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