California is on the brink of legalizing hemp-derived cannabidiol (“Hemp CBD”) in many products—well, sort of. The law at issue is Assembly Bill 228 (“AB-228”), and I’ve been writing about it since it was introduced in January 2019 (for my posts on it, see here, here, and here). As of today, it’s made its way…
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ICYMI: California Cannabis Provisional Licenses Are Given New Life
CaliforniaUncategorized July 5, 2019
On July 1, Governor Newsom signed into law AB 97 and SB 97, which combined, extend the life and power of provisional cannabis licenses, giving much needed relief to licensees sitting on temporary licenses that were about to expire and/or that are awaiting their provisional licenses to issue in the face of massive red tape…
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California Cannabis Cultivator Brings RICO Claims Against Fellow Cultivator, But Not For The Reason You Might Think
CaliforniaUncategorized July 4, 2019
In what appears to be a first, a veteran commercial cannabis cultivator in Santa Barbara County has sued another cannabis cultivator for, among many other claims, violating the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). According to the complaint, the defendants defrauded the plaintiff as one of many business partners, investors, and otherwise unsophisticated…
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Video: Member Spotlight – Anresco Laboratories
CaliforniaMarijuana Laws, Regulations, & Politics July 4, 2019 0
Obviously, work in the cannabis industry for attorneys is way more than just state license acquisition. In fact, after a few years and with the exception of competitive licensing regimes, state licensing slows down and is usually taken in-house by cannabis companies that formulate compliance teams. In turn, as time goes on, a significant amount…
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Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from China in U.S. Cannabis Businesses
CaliforniaRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized June 25, 2019
If you think your Chinese investor will be able to get your cannabis venture the promised investment funds any time soon, you are in for a long slog. Most companies do not care who provides their investment capital (as long as the investors are content being passive investors), and Chinese households have typically been lauded…
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California Cannabis Legislation: SB 475 Would (Finally) Allow Licensees to Exchange Trade Samples
CaliforniaMedical MarijuanaRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized June 25, 2019
An issue our clients have encountered in a variety of transactions, including basic product purchase transactions and intellectual property licensing transactions, is that the California rules governing commercial cannabis licensees currently do not allow the exchange of free samples between licensees. We are unaware of an industry in which the wholesale purchaser of a large…
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