Last week, a LinkedIn post by cannabis economist Beau Whitney caught my eye, because Beau said something pretty amazing. He said: “licensed acres in hemp are at pre-farm bill levels.” Could that be true? Before the 2018 Farm Bill, only a few states ran limited “research” pilot programs for hemp. I did my best to
The level of straight-up false information in cannabis advertising online is staggering. It’s almost too hard to describe. As a cannabis attorney, I’m often stunned that companies push cannabis advertisements the way they do. Over the years, I’ve spoken to dozens (maybe hundreds) of cannabis business owners who thought X was completely legal because of
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) released a rules guide on July 14, “outlining regulations of products containing THC”. The guide is titled “Discontinued Sales of Products Containing THC by Businesses that Do Not Hold a Cannabis License” and it relates to recently enacted SB 5367, which we’ve been following closely. As we
On July 5, 2023, the FDA and FTC jointly announced six cease and desist letters to alleged delta-8 product makers. You can access the letters here. Unlike prior rounds of warning letters, these letters have a new focus: harm to children. For nearly five years, the FDA and FTC have taken the position that CBD
In case you missed it, professional players on teams in the National Basketball Association are getting a free and clear opportunity to take advantage of the cannabis industry through cannabis investments. As a former D-1 college athlete, I’m glad to see the NBA not only remove cannabis from its list of banned substances but also
Last month, Washington governor Jay Inslee signed SB 5367, a largely unpublicized bill “concerning the regulation of products containing THC”. Among other things, the bill amends the definition of “cannabis product” in the state’s Controlled Substances Act to include products with any detectable amount of THC concentration. Selling such CBD products will require licensure by
Ever since Congress passed the Agricultural Improvements Act of 2018 (or 2018 Farm Bill), people have tried to find creative ways to sell intoxicating hemp-derived products. One example of this is THCA products, such as THCA flower, which contain very high levels of THCA. But is THCA legal? Today, I want to examine legality of
I wanted to drop a line today on an interesting piece of cannabis legislation moving through the Oregon session. The draft bill at issue is omnibus SB 353 (most recent mark-up here). This is a very different SB 353 than its placeholder from back in January when I published our annual Legislative Forecast and Report.
FTC Warning letters Marketing CBD products is a challenge. For years we’ve written about risks associated with making health-related claims in marketing. But there’s another avenue that the federal government doesn’t like: unsubstantiated claims. Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) decided to ratchet up enforcement and sent out warning letters to nearly 700 companies
I’ve spoken with a handful of clients recently who are anxious about Oregon’s new cannabis testing requirements. These requirements cover heavy metals and microbiological contaminants, and they take effect on March 1, 2023. The scuttlebutt is that many failed tests are inevitable if the labs do their jobs. And the labs are under scrutiny at
