Cannabis regulators across the country continue to react to the spreading coronavirus pandemic, with Oregon and Pennsylvania relaxing rules while storefront dispensaries were ordered closed in Nevada. The changes come as more states issue stay-at-home orders in an effort to curtail the spread of the virus. In Oregon, regulators... Read more
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulatory authority over hemp…
Last week, I attended Portland’s Hemp CBD Connex, an annual event that highlights the vast potential of hemp and CBD. Of interest to me–because my practice focuses on the regulatory framework of CBD products–was a panel entitled “Weeding Through the CBD Jungle: How to Grow, Run and Be Successful.” This panel was led by two…
Last week, Oregon kicked off the 2020 legislative session. Because we are in an even-numbered year, this will be a 35-day session. In short sessions, we tend to see fewer pieces of introduced legislation. The prospects for a productive session may also be lower than usual in 2020, given that House and Senate Republicans are threatening…
Joseph Hopkins, with his wife Chelsea, owns and operates The Greener Side, a dispensary in Eugene, OR. As some of the original entrepreneurs to open a dispensary in the state of Oregon, their story of being raided by federal authorities shows how resilient one needs to be in the... Read more
Oregon’s biggest marijuana company will pay a record $110,000 penalty to settle state allegations that it mislabeled its Select brand of vaping products, incorrectly claiming more than 186,000 vapes were 100% marijuana. The settlement includes a “dishonest conduct” sanction. The state has levied more than 100 penalties against recreational... Read more
by Ryan McGuire, HK Cannabis Law On October 29, 2019, the USDA released regulations establishing a domestic hemp production program, paving the way for hemp cultivation on an industrial scale in 2020. While the potential benefits of a robust hemp industry in California are exciting, large scale industrial hemp... Read more
File this one under “a bit too on the nose.” The Oregon Office of Economic Analysis (OEA) offered up a statistical nugget in a report last week that would seem like a corny joke if it weren’t true. In a study published Friday, OEA economist Josh Lehner wrote that... Read more
Idahoans are supporting Oregon’s economy in a major way: It’s where they’re buying marijuana, because it’s legal there but not here. “In things you cannot make up, Oregon sales per adult along the Idaho border are 420% the statewide average,” wrote Josh Lehner in a report released Friday by the... Read more
By Gabriel Cross, CEO of Odyssey DistributionMember of NCIA’s State Regulations Committee Oversupply and shortages, high prices and lack of choice for patients and consumers, illicit markets, tainted products, and the inability to access banking and capital all plague the burgeoning cannabis industry. While cannabis advocates and industry leaders... Read more