Harris Sliwoski LLP attorney Jason Adelstone will be moderating a panel at the upcoming Industrial Hemp International Conference and Trade Show, in Denver, Colorado. Jason will be joined on the panel by attorney David Sergi and political consultant Kevin Lampe. Their session, “Legal Reality Check: Cannabinoids, Compliance, and Enforcement in a Shifting U.S. Landscape,” will
Most commentary on the “hemp ban” included in the November funding bill has focused on two related questions: (1) which products and activities may become unlawful on November 12, 2026; and (2) whether Congress will materially amend or delay the ban before then. I recently discussed another consequence operators should be considering as the deadline
Last month, we hosted a webinar on federal cannabis law and policy in 2026. While things are not where we’d like them to be, it’s amazing to consider everything that has happened over the years. From a lawyering perspective, it’s almost unbelievable. I have worked as a business lawyer in the cannabis industry for over
Most commentary on the “hemp ban” included in the November funding bill has focused on two, related considerations: (1) which products and activities will become unlawful on November 12, 2026, and (2) whether Congress will materially amend, or delay, the ban before then. While that focus is understandable, it overlooks a critical, and more immediate,
U.S. federal cannabis law is at a pivotal moment heading into 2026. In a January 15th webinar, attorneys Jason Adelstone and Vince Sliwoski examined two major federal developments that are poised to reshape the industry: the Executive Order directing the rescheduling of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, and new Congressional legislation redefining “hemp,” effective
Harris Sliwoski attorney Jason Adelstone will be participating in CannaGen Sesh 3: Deeply Seeded, a webinar hosted by CannaGen on Thursday, January 22, from 11:00–12:00 PM PST. This session will focus on a significant but underappreciated change in federal hemp law that will materially affect cannabis genetics, seed commerce, and cross-border operations. Under recent amendments
What long resembled a Never Ending Story has finally reached a turning point. Today, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Attorney General to reschedule marijuana as a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The signing and remarks can be viewed here. The order includes the following directives (as first reported
Last month, I gave my big-picture thoughts on the intoxicating hemp products ban under P.L. 119-37, concluding that enforcement was an open question. That question has started to pick up steam, particularly following a Congressional Research Service report published on December 3rd. The CRS report provides: …it remains unclear if and how federal law enforcement
Federal cannabis policy has always been a mess. When I say “always”, I’m looking back 90 years or so, beginning with the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, then skipping ahead to the Controlled Substances Act, the Rohrbacher-Farr Amendment, the 2014 Farm Bill, and the 2018 Farm Bill—not to mention the various awkward and occasionally incoherent
The hemp industry faces its biggest shake-up since 2018 Effective November 13, 2025, Congress fundamentally rewrote the laws governing hemp in America. Buried within the government funding bill (starting at pg. 64) is language that will reshape the entire hemp industry, including a critical shift in how marijuana seeds are treated under federal law. See
