We’ve written extensively about the dos and don’ts of filing cannabis-related state and federal trademarks, and we all know by now that you cannot obtain a federal trademark registration for goods or services that are not lawful pursuant to federal law. But I’ve heard a lot of creative arguments in this space, and have had many
What do cake and cannabis have to do with each other? Besides the obvious late-night munchies or a great recipe for an edible, a recent Supreme Court decision involving cake impacts cannabis businesses across the nation. The Masterpiece Cakeshop case garnered a lot of media attention—and for good reason. Not only are the facts enticing
Two of the biggest buzzwords of 2018 have been cyrptocurrency and cannabis. Both industries have seen an tremendous influx of investment from people trying to capitalize on these new business ideas. Almost every week, I see a new event pop up for people who are interested in finding the synergies between these different industries. Everyone
As we’ve discussed before on this blog, cannabis can be and is being patented. It is important to remember that patents are a balance between competing social values. In classical legal theory, patents exist to encourage innovation by offering innovators a limited monopoly in return for making inventions, and eventually releasing them to the public. Although
Yesterday proved to be a wild day, featuring Jeff Sessions single-handedly demolishing the federal government’s former cannabis enforcement framework. Now that 24 hours have passed since the news came out, we have had a chance to refine our analysis of the Department of Justice’s move. Reactions in the media have ranged from treating the Sessions
It’s finally happening — Attorney General Jeff Sessions will, today, rescind the 2013 Cole Memo regarding federal enforcement in states that legalized cannabis. The Cole Memo, which came on the heels of marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington back in 2012, set forth the Obama administration’s enforcement policies regarding state-legal marijuana. It set out eight
Recently, we covered the basics of cannabis supply contracts here on this blog. Supply contracts are used when Party A is selling pot to Party B in a responsible way. Today’s post looks at another form of cannabis contract: the contract packager (“co-packer”) agreement. Co-packer agreements are used when Party A is working with Party B
Asset forfeiture is a serious concern for cannabis businesses across the United States. The government has the authority to seize assets involved in the manufacture, importation, sale, or distribution of a controlled substance, such as marijuana, and in the past decades it has not shied away from using this power. What’s more, property seized by
Business planning is both science and art, research and forecasting. In cannabis, the forecasting quotient is challenging compared to other industries. That is because federal prohibition has created a dance around conflicts in law that is equally awkward and intricate, alongside an ever-evolving panoply of state and local rules. Our cannabis corporate attorneys field questions regarding federal prohibition daily,
Most cannabis businesses are small businesses. Many of them need money. Some of them have access to capital. And all of them are subject to fundraising laws. We build out canna (and non-canna) deals regularly in Oregon, Washington, California and elsewhere. Though some of our clients are publicly traded, the majority are closely held businesses
