The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) seems to be listening. For the past six months, the federal agency has been bombarded with messages, urging the FDA to promptly develop a regulatory pathway for the lawful use of hemp-derived CBD (“Hemp-CBD”) in foods and dietary supplements. Some of these messages came from Oregon’s hemp champion, Senator…
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Tomorrow, a Republican-controlled Senate Banking Committee hearing will examine cannabis businesses’ lack of access to banking services to further consider the SAFE Banking Act. The July 23, 2019 hearing will include Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and the legislation’s chief GOP cosponsor, Cory Gardner (R-CO). As we’ve discussed on the blog previously, the legislation would allow…
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Grading the Democratic Presidential Candidates on Marijuana: Elizabeth Warren
Medical MarijuanaRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized July 21, 2019
Each Saturday, we have been running a series of blog posts that take a close look at each of the Democratic Party candidates for President in 2020. We examine each candidate’s historic approach to marijuana law and policy, and we also canvas their current respective stances on marijuana. Over the past three weeks, we covered Joe…
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Grading the Democratic Presidential Candidates on Marijuana: Kamala Harris
Medical MarijuanaRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized July 13, 2019
Every Saturday, we have been running a series of blog posts that take a close look at each of the Democratic Party candidates for President in 2020. We examine each candidate’s historic approach to marijuana law and policy, and we also canvas their current respective stances on marijuana. Over the past two weeks, we covered Joe…
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U.S. Indicts Cannabis Manufacturer for Illegal Hazardous Waste Dumping, But Not For Cannabis Activity
Uncategorized July 12, 2019
Last month, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California indicted a San Diego cannabis manufacturer for dumping hazardous waste in violation of federal law. The defendants are alleged to have arranged for an unlicensed garbage hauler to unlawfully dump at various locations twenty-eight 55-gallon barrels of waste ethanol used in volatile extraction of…
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Where Do Federal Agencies Stand on CBD?
HempUncategorized July 11, 2019
In the past few weeks, many opinions on the sale, marketing and transportation of hemp and hemp-derived CBD-infused (“Hemp-CBD”) products have been released by federal agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”), the U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”), and the Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”). While we have written…
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Grading the Democratic Presidential Candidates on Marijuana: Bernie Sanders
Medical MarijuanaRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized July 6, 2019
Every Saturday, at least for a while, we plan to run a series of blog posts that take a close look at each of the Democratic Party candidates for President in 2020. We are examining each candidate’s historic approach to marijuana law and policy, and also canvas each politician’s current stances on marijuana. Last week,…
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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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SCOTUS Clarifies That Protection is Available for “Immoral or Scandalous” Trademarks
Uncategorized July 2, 2019
In alignment with its 2017 decision in the Matal v. Tam case which ruled that the disparagement clause of the Lanham Act violated the First Amendment’s free speech clause, the Supreme Court ruled last week that free speech protections also extend to “immoral or scandalous” trademarks. In Iancu v. Brunetti, SCOTUS ruled that the United…
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Grading the Democratic Presidential Candidates on Marijuana: Joe Biden
Medical MarijuanaRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized June 30, 2019
Every Saturday, at least for a while, we plan to run a series of blog posts that take a close look at each of the Democratic Party candidates for President in 2020. We will examine each candidate’s historic approach to marijuana law and policy, and also canvas each politician’s current stances on marijuana. Today, we…
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