Get in Touch with Our California Cannabis Law Team
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In the ever-changing California hemp industry, businesses need a skilled and experienced attorney to navigate complex regulations and seize opportunities. Harris Sliwoski is a leading full-service law firm in the United States, offering expert legal counsel to clients in the hemp industry.
Contact UsCBD (cannabidiol) is a cannabinoid found in cannabis plants, including industrial hemp. It is not a separate type of plant and should not be confused with THC, the principal intoxicating cannabinoid in cannabis. California regulates industrial hemp and medicinal and adult-use cannabis under different legal systems. Whether a CBD product can be manufactured or sold legally depends on its ingredients, intended use, how it is produced, and where it enters the market.
A product's classification as hemp does not automatically make it legal to sell. California restricts various hemp-derived cannabinoid products, and businesses must comply with the rules governing their particular products and activities.
California substantially changed its hemp laws through Assembly Bill 8, which took effect in large part on January 1, 2026. The law strengthens restrictions on intoxicating hemp products while preserving a regulated market for certain CBD and CBN products.
Under current California rules, industrial hemp extracts used in foods, beverages, dietary supplements, and processed pet foods cannot contain THC or synthetic cannabinoids and must meet specified purity requirements for CBD or CBN. Covered hemp foods, beverages, and dietary supplements intended for human consumption are subject to restrictions that include no detectable THC, a minimum purchasing age of 21, and a maximum of five servings per package. Different rules apply to certain other products, including cosmetics, and California prohibits the in-state sale of specified inhalable hemp products.
Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers need to pay particular attention to testing, labeling, packaging, product formulation, and sales restrictions. A product lawful in another state is not necessarily lawful in California.
Businesses should consult the California Department of Public Health's guidance on Assembly Bill 8 for the applicable requirements.
There is no single California CBD license that authorizes every hemp-related business activity. Hemp cultivators generally register with their county agricultural commissioner under the California Department of Food and Agriculture's industrial hemp program. Businesses extracting cannabinoids from industrial hemp or manufacturing certain hemp products generally require an Industrial Hemp Enrollment and Oversight authorization from the California Department of Public Health, along with other applicable registrations and permits.
Commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis activities are regulated separately by the California Department of Cannabis Control. Additional changes to hemp extraction oversight are scheduled for 2028.
Harris Sliwoski advises California hemp and CBD businesses on licensing and regulatory compliance, product classification, manufacturing and distribution agreements, labeling requirements, business formation, and regulatory investigations. We also assist companies evaluating new cannabinoid products or expanding their operations into California.
At Harris Sliwoski, we have a deep understanding of California's hemp regulations and can guide you through legal processes to ensure compliance. Our lawyers can help you with:
Beyond advising individual businesses, our cannabis attorneys are committed to fortifying, defending, and building credibility for the industry as a whole. Harris Sliwoski’s cannabis business lawyers are more than legal strategists—they are thought leaders: forward-thinking bloggers, educators, writers, and speakers.
They regularly write articles for legal journals and frequently post to our acclaimed and widely followed Canna Law Blog. We speak to business and trade groups, academic institutions, and government bodies on a variety of cannabis legal issues, and our cannabis lawyers are frequently quoted by global, national, and local media outlets. We also have compiled (and are forever adding to) a Cannabis Glossary to help with industry terminology.
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“Harris Sliwoski expertly guided us through the formation of our company. They continue to assist with necessary registrations and compliance with numerous regulations. They were able to promptly answer all our many questions and provide understandable options, explanations and practical advice. We expect to continue to use Harris Sliwoski on a regular basis as our company expands. They were also able to introduce us other professional experts. We would not hesitate to recommend Harris Sliwoski to any companies in need of legal advice.”
This law firm was a huge help as our company went through the process of commercial licensing in the California cannabis industry. They have helped us with a variety of legal issues in a timely fashion, while clearly communicating with us throughout the process. Everyone we’ve worked with at Harris Sliwoski is an expert in their field and we have always felt that we were in good hands through our legal representation.
Legal stuff is always scary. And I've had to play offense a couple times, begrudgingly. To have Harris Sliwoski have my back? It made things a lot less prickly. They quickly walked me through my options, and were refreshingly consistent in their communications, timing and billing. I've been lucky to stay out of the legal side of things my whole career, thankfully. When things went a little wrong, Harris Sliwoski quickly made things right.
I am impressed with this law firm. They answered all my questions regarding cannabis businesses and the California cannabis framework, and they have helped me with a variety of legal issues in a timely fashion, while always clearly communicating with us throughout the process. They also redirected me to other quality people for my business needs. Everyone I worked with at Harris Sliwoski is an expert in their field, and I was in good hands throughout my legal representation.
I have been working with the lawyers at Harris Sliwoski for more than 20 years both as a business owner and as an executive at a large east-coast health system and that is because they have always efficiently provided high level and clear international law advice. Most recently, Harris Sliwoski provided legal support on many matters related to procuring medical products worldwide. Their support was particularly helpful to during the onset of COVID, when there was a big need for securing PPE quickly, all while navigating complicated international and domestic legal requirements. Harris Sliwoski’s team of international lawyers helped by conducting rapid-fire due diligence on potential suppliers, navigating the legal logistics for getting product from overseas and through U.S. customs, and drafting contracts to protect against various sorts of horribles. They did this by essentially providing what amounted to 24/7 service. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Harris Sliwoski has represented our company in the legal cannabis industry for years. Harris Sliwoski has advised us in a wide variety of legal matters, and they are truly experts in their field. I would highly recommend Harris Sliwoski to anyone with questions about cannabis law, or any legal matters. They have been great for our Company, and will continue to guide us as our industry evolves
You won't find a better partner than Harris Sliwoski when trying to navigate the complex world of healthcare regulations. They not only give sound and reliable legal advice, but they are also very responsive and are able to guide you in a way that helps you reach your business objectives as well.
When we started the process of building a 'seed to sale' cannabis company in Oregon, we saw the need for expert legal counsel. The cannabis sector is fraught with potential peril at every turn, and we wanted the best legal advice we could find. After talking to several firms and individuals, we feel extremely fortunate to have chosen Harris Sliwoski as our legal counsel.
We use Harris Sliwoski on all our international legal matters, including on our international litigation matters. We have over the last few years been involved in a couple big international legal disputes and Harris Sliwoski’s international dispute resolution team provided us with expert legal assistance on both matters. They were always very careful to explain to us what they were doing and why and what their actions would likely cost us in legal fees. Most importantly, we did extremely well on both cases and I have no doubt Harris Sliwoski was a big factor in that.
We have used Harris Sliwoski for legal help related to our international manufacturing. The lawyers with whom I worked had extensive familiarity with the international legal issues involved in our various projects and offered us key insights. I particularly appreciated how they always quickly and efficiently do what they say they will do and always within their cost estimates.
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