Why Handshake Cannabis Deals Are BAD

A lawyer I know once told me that the primary motivation behind drafting a contract should not be making each party’s obligations clear or negotiating better terms, but instead should be ensuring that when there is litigation,  that party is in the best possible position to win. Having written and litigated numerous contracts, I could…

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ICYMI: Proposed Emergency Regulations Require QR Code on All Licensed California Retail Cannabis Premises

On Thursday, January 23rd, the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) announced new proposed emergency regulations that will make it mandatory for all cannabis businesses to post their unique Quick Response Code (QR Code) in their storefront windows and to carry it with them while transporting or delivering cannabis. According to the BCC, these new regulations…

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Receivership and Distressed Cannabis Assets in California

Succeeding in the cannabis industry is not easy, especially in California. Complex regulation, high taxes, expensive real estate, and competition with the black market are just a handful of factors that challenge cannabis businesses. The majority of players lack sufficient reserves and agility to stay in the game. Due to the substantial upfront costs required…

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Top Canna Law Blog Posts of 2019

Happy New Year! Before we cue up our favorite version of Auld Lang Syne, pop the CBD-infused champagne, and begin to celebrate the roaring 20s, we’d like to take a look back. 2019 was another big year for cannabis, and another busy year for the Canna Law Blog. We dove deep into our archives on Facebook,…

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California Cannabis Enforcement Begins

It’s no secret that California’s illicit cannabis market is alive and well; a recent audit showed that there are nearly 3,000 unlawful cannabis businesses in the Golden State. A few months ago, I wrote a post offering a few suggestions on how the state could combat the problem of illicit cannabis, and I am not…

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Protecting Hemp-CBD Business Information

According to recent reports, the hemp-derived cannabidiol (“Hemp-CBD”) market is expected to grow by 700 percent by 2020 and grow to $2.1 billion by 2020. Given this significant growth forecast, sensitive business information (also known as trade secrets) has become an incredibly valuable asset for Hemp-CBD stakeholders. Realizing value from those trade secrets requires sharing them with…

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Hemp-CBD, Oregon and the Unlawful Trade Practices Act

This is the first in a three-part series addressing why companies making and sell hemp-derived CBD products ought to be concerned about state consumer protection laws and offering a few thoughts on how to mitigate the risk of running afoul of those laws. This week we will look at Oregon, followed by Washington, and California….

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Cannabis Patent Litigation: Remedies for Patent Infringement

Continuing our discussion from last week, we received a few follow-up questions on whether patent litigation is really worth the trouble and what can be potentially recovered. In short, the amount of damages you can recover for patent infringement is outlined by statute. Here is a cursory discussion of the different types of damages that…

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Cannabis Patent Litigation: What Constitutes Infringement?

As expected, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has continued to increase the number of patents issued containing the words “cannabis” or “marijuana” this year. Because we anticipate that the growing number of patents in this industry and progression of the first cannabis patent lawsuit (covered here, here, here, and here) inevitably will inspire more…

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CBD Products and False Advertising Under the Lanham Act

A few weeks ago, I wrote a Hemp/CBD litigation forecast in which I predicted that at some point a CBD company will make use of the Lanham Act by claiming that a competitor is engaging in false or misleading advertising. (See here). In that post I promised to go into the Lanham Act in further…

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