My law firm represents a large number of cannabis operators in Oregon, Washington and California. Some of these operators own the land they trade on; others simply lease. Whenever we are lucky enough to meet the client before the onset of cannabis activity, our first question is often whether the target property is mortgaged, or
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has a perspective on cannabis to which we all should subscribe: open-minded, supportive, and adverse to stigma (just the way Kerr coaches). Though Kerr himself has used marijuana medicinally and did not find it effective for his own pain, he is still able to identify that a) cannabis
California Lt. Governor Newsom is right. Though Attorney General-Elect Sessions preposterously declares that marijuana smokers are “bad people,” that does not mean the majorities who voted for legalization will accept such absurdity. Marijuana won in so many states this past election not because of an upswing in either liberal or conservative voters (we’ve written multiple times on how
President Obama has an interesting perspective on the cannabis issue. He’s right, legalization isn’t a panacea — few things are. However, legalization would improve an array of things, as our marijuana laws are all over the map in the United States. Some states have extreme consequences for very small amounts of marijuana (such as prison
And we could certainly use a big dose of healing right now. We wrote two weeks ago on how our country is divided in the aftermath of the presidential election, but also that 8 of 9 states voted to legalize marijuana in some capacity, making cannabis the true winner of the election. We also wrote how future Attorney General
Importing cannabis into the United States is illegal since cannabis is a Schedule I controlled substance. But it’s not necessarily illegal to import smoking accessories into the United States, such as (pipes, grinders, rolling papers, etc.) so long as you’re not violating federal paraphernalia laws. Even though marijuana legalization is sweeping the U.S. and people are
Author and activist Norman Mailer makes an excellent and timely point here. Using cannabis can often put you into an existential condition. It can slow down time, allow you to consider each moment singularly, and put you into a heightened (or at least altered) state of mind that can allow you to think critically and creatively about
Residency requirements are used to award rights or privileges to residents of a state in favor of non-residents. Though they’ve long been used by colleges to provide discounted tuition to in-state residents, they’re appearing more recently as a tool states use in the cannabis industry to benefit their own residents. For businesses looking to expand
Comedian Joe Rogan makes a really important point here–just because a substance (or food, or activity) can be abused by some people does not mean we need to rid all free-thinking adults from having access to it. Most good things in life can be abused or overused, but outlawing them completely is not the answer.
Last week, I spoke on an Oregon Business Magazine panel regarding the state of the Oregon cannabis industry. The event drew a diverse group of industry entrepreneurs, investors, consultants and observers, despite its 7:30 a.m. start. The panel also covered an array of topics, from state and federal regulation, to product branding and marketing, to
