Oregon Marijuana Audit: Everything is All Messed Up and Also Just Fine
Medical MarijuanaOregonRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized February 16, 2019
On January 31, the Oregon Secretary of State released an audit of Oregon marijuana regulation. The audit is a hefty 37 pages, but its core findings are listed right there on the cover sheet: “Oregon’s framework for regulating marijuana should be strengthened to better mitigate diversion risk and improve laboratory testing.” Now: we would all…
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ICYMI: U.S. Attorney General Nominee (Likely) Won’t Harsh Your Mellow
Medical MarijuanaRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized February 13, 2019
Back on January 4, 2018, the industry was in a slight tailspin due to then acting Attorney General Jeff Session’s (renowned marijuana hater) rescinding of all marijuana enforcement guidance from the Department of Justice (“DOJ”). Reactions in the media ranged from treating the Sessions announcement as nothing more than an attempt to frighten the cannabis industry…
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The World Health Organization Steps Up on Cannabis
Recreational MarijuanaUncategorized February 11, 2019
On February 1, it was reported that the World Health Organization (WHO) made some significant and long overdue recommendations with respect to cannabis. Those recommendations have not been formally released, but we expect that to happen soon. If adopted wholesale by the United Nations (UN), the recommendations will have a significant impact globally as to…
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The Future of Cannabis in Washington and Oregon
OregonRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized February 7, 2019
In late January, Portland hosted the Cannabis Collaborative Conference (“CCC” or “Conference”), an annual forum created by cannabis industry leaders, aimed at addressing the most pressing issues facing this emerging market. This year’s conference focused on the future of the cannabis industry. Rick Garza, Director of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“WLCB”), was one…
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The California Bureau of Cannabis Control’s Final Regulations Immigration Impact on Foreign “Owners”
CaliforniaRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized February 6, 2019
On January 16, 2019, each of the three California cannabis agencies dropped a final set of regulations. In many senses, the Bureau of Cannabis Control’s (“BCC”) regulations were the most comprehensive and expansive (we summarized some of the highlights here, and summarized the highlights of the California Department of Public Health’s final regulations here). In…
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Cannabis and International Trade: Never the Twain Shall Meet?
Medical MarijuanaRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized February 4, 2019
Recently, we’ve been getting tons of questions from clients regarding the international import and export of cannabis around the globe. 2018 was a historic year for the cannabis industry not just in the United States, but also internationally. Canada legalized recreational marijuana for the entire country. Many countries (e.g., Thailand, New Zealand, Mexico, Lithuania, U.K.) took…
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Portland Awards Cannabis Grants to Minority Owned Cannabis Businesses
OregonRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized February 2, 2019
We have been critical of cities licensing cannabis businesses in the past. Cannabis businesses are taxed and regulated heavily enough at the state level–why involve cities as well? We have always thought that if a city is going to be involved in the licensing process, it might as well do some good along the way….
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ICYMI: The BCC Drops its Final Regulations
CaliforniaRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized January 25, 2019
On Wednesday, January 16, 2019, the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (“BCC”)—the agency that licenses distributors, retailers, testing labs, and event organizers—dropped its final regulations. Until then, BCC licensed commercial cannabis operators or applicants for BCC licenses had been in no man’s land, complying with emergency regulations while trying to divine what the final regulations…
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Practical Tips for Your Cannabis Co-Branding Deals
Recreational MarijuanaUncategorized January 23, 2019
I’m currently advising multiple cannabis clients that are seeking to enter into co-branding deals, some with other cannabis companies, some with non-cannabis companies, and some of these clients were initially unaware of the potential risks to their intellectual property (“IP”) that could result from a poorly-drafted agreement (or from failure to adequately protect their IP…
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California Cannabis: Breaking Down the CDPH Permanent Regulations
CaliforniaMedical MarijuanaRecreational MarijuanaUncategorized January 22, 2019
The State of California finally adopted permanent cannabis regulations earlier this month. In a series of posts, we’re going to cover the highlights of each agency’s permanent rules so that you know what big changes to expect during 2019. This post will cover the main changes (in our opinion) regarding the California Department of Public…
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