dea letter

Is It Legal, or Not? What to Make of All These DEA “Position” Letters

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seems happy to respond to public and private parties inquiring about the control status of various substances. DEA answers some of these inquiries more quickly than others, and the response letters are usually short and to the point. The letters typically come from the desk of Terrence L. Boos, Ph.D.,

minnesota social equity

Minnesota Social Equity Verification: Key Dates Start June 21

The Minnesota cannabis social equity initiative As Minnesota continues to develop its legal cannabis industry, the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has taken significant steps to ensure that the process is inclusive and equitable. One of the most notable advancements in this area is the recent update to the social equity application and verification

Juneteenth Independence Day concept, 3D rendering

Celebrating Juneteenth Today

Our offices are closed today in commemoration of the Juneteenth holiday. In the past, we’ve used this occasion to highlight the need for criminal justice reform, inside and outside of the cannabis industry. Juneteenth is also a day of celebration, to commemorate the liberation of enslaved people in the United States. We hope you have

hunter biden

What Hunter Biden’s Verdict Means for Cannabis Users

I wrote about Robert Hunter Biden’s indictment for violation of federal gun laws in a post entitled “What the Hunter Biden Indictment Means for Cannabis Users” back in September 2023. On June 11, 2024, a jury in a federal district court in Delaware found Hunter guilty of three felony counts. Today I want to look

matt goldberg deb fernando nicole gossett-roxbury

Harris Sliwoski LLP Welcomes Esteemed Litigation Team

We are pleased to announce the addition of an esteemed litigation team to the Oregon office. Matt Goldberg, Nicole Gossett-Roxbury, and Deb Fernando have joined our law firm from Lotus Law Group. They will continue to focus on high-stakes business and real estate litigation. Their clients include business owners and operators, investors, financial institutions, and

cannabis banking

A New Angle on Cannabis Banking Protections

Sometimes I’ll write about cannabis banking when I’m working on a project for a bank or credit union, but newsworthy developments on cannabis banking seldom seem to drop. Yesterday, however, we had a development worth covering: a Congressional Subcommittee added cannabis banking protections to a critical government spending bill. A GOP-chaired Subcommittee, no less. Marijuana

liabilities

Cannabis M&A: Protecting Against Undisclosed Liabilities

When someone buys a cannabis business, and not just that business’s assets, they essentially inherit all of its liabilities. And there are usually a lot. If the business is in the midst of a lawsuit, owes back taxes, is behind on rent, etc., the buyer will need to deal with those problems on its own–unless

cannabis consumption lounge

California’s Cannabis Lounges and Assembly Bill 374: Food, Fun, Weed

As California continues to pioneer in the cannabis industry, a new trend is taking the scene by storm: cannabis consumption lounges. These lounges are becoming the ultimate hangout spots, and the latest buzz is about adding food and non-alcoholic drinks to the menu. Let’s dive into what’s happening with consumption lounges in California and how

california hemp beverages

Bad News for Hemp THC Beverages in California

At some point in the last few years, people seemed to realize that getting a cannabis (marijuana) license is not cheap or easy, and that it’s a whole lot easier to sell intoxicating cannabinoid products. You’ve probably read some of our posts on like THCA or delta-8 products, for example. Another extremely popular alternative has been hemp THC

intoxicating hemp products

Bad News for Intoxicating Hemp Products

For years, people have tried to decipher the incredibly poorly worded (I can’t stress this enough) language in the 2018 Farm Bill and what it means for intoxicating hemp products like THCA products or delta-8. In the last week or so, there’s been a lot of bad news for the intoxicating hemp products industry. Let’s take