Thank you MJBizCon for another great hit last week in Las Vegas! Previous conferences have consistently provided both valuable and relevant content for attendees. This year was no exception — high quality speakers covering a timely array of topics that ranged from recent developments in production and packaging to strategic considerations for potential partnerships with
Join Us in Seattle for the Northwest Marijuana Law Conference on Nov. 16
We are proud to support Seattle University’s 6th Annual Northwest Marijuana Law Conference taking place on Friday, November 16. Josh Ashby and Sativa Rasmussen are the program’s Co-Chairs and will lead the conversation, bringing together experts from the law and the industry to provide critical focus and frameworks.
Ben Pirie will present on “Updates on
Federal Study on Cannabis Raises More Questions Than It Answers
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) recently released “An Initial Assessment of Cannabis Production, Distribution, and Consumption in Oregon 2018 – An Insight Report.” The report “does not purport to be a policy evaluation or policy performance review; rather [the] assessment provides a verifiable analysis of assorted information and
The RICO Tax Trap
A significant tax bill may await RICO plaintiffs involving cannabis lawsuits because in most cases the plaintiffs will be taxable not only on amounts recovered but also on the amounts spent on lawyers and court costs.
We recently discussed the latest in a series of Oregon RICO cases that generally involve property disputes. Plaintiffs and
Standing Athwart History
Like coworkers to donuts, the cannabis industry has attracted a host of adjacent industries that interface with the business of marijuana in one way or another. Some, like security, cash management, and analytical services, support the industry in ways that are integral to its success. Others . . . do not. Enter the Oregon attorney
Pharma Plays the Medical Card: How Will The DEA Respond?
Due to some interesting developments in health science, the future of the industrial hemp industry may be in the hands of the DEA once again.
For the first time ever, the FDA approved a drug derived from marijuana. The active ingredient in Epidolex, which in clinical trials reduced the frequency of seizures in people with
Tax Court Tells Cautionary IRC 280E Tale: Alterman Facts Make Bad Law
On June 13, the U.S. Tax Court issued Tax Court Memo 2018-83, Alterman and Gibson v. Comm’r. Based on the way this case is being reported in the trade press, one might think that this decision portends doom and gloom for taxpayers in the cannabis industry. Such fears are not justified for anyone
STATES’ Rights: Bipartisan Bill Offers States Buffer From Federal Marijuana Crackdown
Last month, we wrote about draft legislation out of the U.S. Senate that aimed to end the tension between the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and state laws legalizing cannabis. Today, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) introduced the excellently-named Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act, which amends the CSA to
OLCC ‘Pauses’ Review of New Recreational Marijuana License Applications
Citing an unmanageable backlog of recreational marijuana license applications and difficulty meeting its responsibilities to existing licensees, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) announced today that it will “pause” review of new recreational license applications effective June 15, 2018. The OLCC will also reallocate staff from licensing review to compliance and enforcement, focusing on the
DEA Responds: ‘These Are Not the Marihuanas We Are Looking For’
Earlier this year, we outlined a potential argument concerning hemp-derived CBD oil and its status under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Our argument focused on the CSA’s definition of the term “marihuana,” which excludes mature stalks, oil or cake made from seeds from the list of controlled substances. Last week, the DEA agreed and issued