canna law blog

Grading the Democratic Presidential Candidates on Marijuana: Kamala Harris

Every Saturday, we have been running a series of blog posts that take a close look at each of the Democratic Party candidates for President in 2020. We examine each candidate’s historic approach to marijuana law and policy, and we also canvas their current respective stances on marijuana. Over the past two weeks, we covered Joe

canna law blog

Oregon’s New Cannabis Laws: The Definitive List

The 2019 Oregon legislative session formally concluded on June 30 and it was a doozy. With respect to cannabis, however, the session was significantly less eventful than any conference since 2014 (and that is mostly a good thing). If you’d like to track how we got here, we previewed the 2019 session in March and

canna law blog

Yes, Washington, You Really Need Cannabis Business Insurance

In a prior post I discussed some general insurance issues for cannabis business owners to consider. Today we’ll take a deep dive into Washington State insurance for cannabis businesses. As is the case with most emerging industries, the pace of marijuana business continues to outstrip the development of ancillary but crucial services (see California Approves

canna law blog

Grading the Democratic Presidential Candidates on Marijuana: Joe Biden

Every Saturday, at least for a while, we plan to run a series of blog posts that take a close look at each of the Democratic Party candidates for President in 2020. We will examine each candidate’s historic approach to marijuana law and policy, and also canvas each politician’s current stances on marijuana. Today, we

canna law blog

California Cannabis Legislation: SB 475 Would (Finally) Allow Licensees to Exchange Trade Samples

An issue our clients have encountered in a variety of transactions, including basic product purchase transactions and intellectual property licensing transactions, is that the California rules governing commercial cannabis licensees currently do not allow the exchange of free samples between licensees. We are unaware of an industry in which the wholesale purchaser of a large

canna law blog

Cannabis Law and Policy: What I’ve Learned From Teaching

For the past three years, I have taught a class called “Cannabis Law & Policy” at Lewis & Clark Law School here in Portland, Oregon. It’s a seminar that meets for two hours a week for upper level students. Per the syllabus, learning objectives for that class are: 1) students should be able to understand

canna law blog

California Bill to Mandate More Cannabis Stores Is Dead, For Now

California cannabis has a problem: roughly 80% of jurisdictions in the state prohibit cannabis stores of any kind, despite voters approving full legalization with Prop 64 (the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, now the Medicinal and Adult Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act, or MAUCRSA) in 2016 by nearly 60%. The result has been “cannabis

canna law blog

California Cannabis: L.A. Phase 3 Social Equity Window Opens Today

The prelude to Phase 3 licensing in the City of L.A. is finally upon us. Today, L.A. will begin accepting applications for Phase 3 social equity applicants for retail and delivery in the City. Specifically, Phase 3 social equity applicants will have from today through July 29th to prove up their Tier 1 or Tier

canna law blog

Washington’s New Cannabis Laws: The Definitive List

Washington lawmakers were busy this last legislative session. Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and the Governor’s Office. This means some minor and major changes to Washington marijuana laws. Below is a list of marijuana bills that made it through the legislative session, and some commentary. Senate Bill 5298 “Regarding labeling of marijuana products.” This bill allows

canna law blog

Top Five Things to Know if You’re Building Your Cannabis Empire Through M&A

It’s no secret that multiple state-by-state operators are building their cannabis empires through aggressive mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”). Last year, our cannabis business attorneys closed more than $100 million in cannabis company acquisitions, and that shows no signs of stopping in 2019. Cannabis M&A is not your run-of-the-mill business dealing though, and working from boilerplate,

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