On May 27, the Texas Legislature sent Senate Bill 3 (SB3) to Gov. Greg Abbott for signature, marking a potentially seismic shift in the legal landscape for hemp-derived cannabinoid products in the state. If signed into law –...more
6/18/2025
/ Agribusiness ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Doing Business ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Manufacturers ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Foods ,
Pending Legislation ,
Plant Based Products ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
Texas
On February 3, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) issued two public health and safety advisories regarding potentially contaminated marijuana products sold by two separate licensees in Massachusetts....more
3/26/2025
/ Agribusiness ,
Contamination ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Plant Based Products ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
State and Local Government ,
Testing Requirements
The Virginia General Assembly has once again advanced legislation to establish a regulated market for recreational marijuana sales. Virginia is unique in that it allows personal possession of cannabis but bans retail sales...more
2/26/2025
/ Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Marijuana ,
Plant Based Products ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Virginia
Last year, we wrote about the former Missouri governor’s efforts to curb the availability of intoxicating hemp products to Missouri consumers by executive order. There are now several proposed bills in the Missouri...more
2/13/2025
/ Advertising ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Plant Based Products ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State Legislatures
On January 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit found that Virginia’s hemp product restrictions do not violate federal law. The ruling is the latest defeat for the Virginia hemp industry’s efforts to overturn...more
1/15/2025
/ Agribusiness ,
Appeals ,
Cannabis Products ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Dormant Commerce Clause ,
Farm Bill ,
Hemp ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Foods ,
Plant Based Products ,
Preemption ,
Regulatory Authority ,
State and Local Government ,
Virginia
With power changing hands in Washington, D.C., what can marijuana industry members expect from the 119th Congress? Two GOP proposals from the 118th Congress may foreshadow the likely path for federal marijuana legalization....more
12/11/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Legalization ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Plant Based Products ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
State and Local Government
The Colorado Attorney General’s (AG) Office recently entered into a settlement agreement with Bee’s Knees Enterprises, LLC, dba Bee’s Knees CBDs, addressing allegations of violations of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act...more
12/2/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Advertising ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Misrepresentation ,
Plant Based Products ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Statutory Violations ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
This year’s election saw no shortage of surprises at the federal, state, and local levels, and Colorado Springs, CO was no exception. Although the results have yet to be officially certified, it appears that voters have...more
11/26/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Ballot Measures ,
Cannabis Products ,
Colorado ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Local Ordinance ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Foods ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Plant Based Products ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government
In recent years, federal and state governments have taken action to make marijuana research easier. These actions are a step in the right direction, and researchers operating in the marijuana space must be aware of the...more
10/4/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Controlled Substances ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
DEA ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Final Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Plant Based Products ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Research and Development ,
Scientific Research ,
State and Local Government ,
THC
When Minnesota legislators passed House File 4065 in 2022 — legalizing the sale of certain hemp-derived THC edibles and beverages — few could have predicted that a multimillion-dollar THC-infused beverage market would result....more
9/5/2024
/ Beverage Manufacturers ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana-Infused Edibles ,
Plant Based Products ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
THC
Last week, the Maine Public Utilities Commission (the commission) heard an unusual pitch: an electric utility proposed to voluntarily report to law enforcement if residential utility usage suggested illegal marijuana grow...more
8/21/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Cannabis Products ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Plant Based Products ,
Power Infrastructure ,
Public Utilities Commission ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Request For Information ,
State and Local Government
The proposed rescheduling of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of U.S. cannabis policy but may bring few practical changes to...more
8/8/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
DEA ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Final Rules ,
Legalization ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Plant Based Products ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recreational Use ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
State and Local Government
Among the two most widely reported federal changes to cannabis regulation are the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) proposed regulation for the federal rescheduling of marijuana (the Proposed Rescheduling) and amendments to the...more
6/26/2024
/ Cannabis Products ,
Controlled Substances ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Farm Bill ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Plant Based Products ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
THC
Introduction -
The medicinal and recreational use and popularity of marijuana has continuously grown throughout the U.S. since Oregon became the first state to decriminalize marijuana in 1973. To date, thirty-eight states...more
5/30/2024
/ Cannabis Products ,
Client Services ,
Controlled Substances ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
DEA ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legal Representatives ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Plant Based Products ,
Recreational Use ,
Retail Market ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
State and Local Government
Attorneys general (AG) from 20 states and the District of Columbia have submitted a letter to Congress requesting that federal lawmakers close the “loophole” created by the 2018 Farm Bill that is widely understood to prohibit...more
4/4/2024
/ Cannabis Products ,
Congressional Committees ,
Controlled Substances ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Marijuana ,
Plant Based Products ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State Attorneys General ,
THC
A Colorado manufacturer of cannabis-infused edible products is suing the Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) of the Colorado Department of Revenue (CDOR) to challenge the validity of recent revisions to its inventory...more
3/6/2024
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Colorado ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Due Process ,
Fees ,
Inventory ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Marijuana-Infused Edibles ,
Plant Based Products ,
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) ,
State and Local Government ,
Tracking Systems
Although the possession and sale of cannabis remain federally illegal under the Controlled Substances Act, the U.S. Department of Justice has largely exercised a general policy of nonprosecution for state-regulated cannabis...more
3/4/2024
/ Agribusiness ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Financial Distress ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Plant Based Products ,
Recreational Use ,
State and Local Government ,
THC
The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA), which assumed oversight of Virginia’s medical cannabis program from the Board of Pharmacy as of January 1, has promulgated regulations to govern medical cannabis operations in...more
1/24/2024
/ Dispensaries ,
Healthcare ,
License Applications ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Regulations ,
Patient Access ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Plant Based Products ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Virginia
Despite the federal ban on the sale, use, and possession of cannabis in the U.S., in October, Georgia became the first U.S. state to allow pharmacies to sell low-dose tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products. Pursuant to statutes...more
12/13/2023
/ DEA ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Healthcare ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Patient Access ,
Pharmacies ,
Plant Based Products ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment ,
State and Local Government ,
THC
Recently, the City of Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) ordered, among other things, the destruction of Titan Health LLC’s (Titan Health) marijuana plants that it deemed to “hav[e] evidence of...more
12/13/2023
/ Agribusiness ,
CO Supreme Court ,
Colorado ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Home Rule States ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Plant Based Products ,
Preemption ,
Public Health ,
State and Local Government ,
State Constitutions
On October 12, hemp producers and retailers notched an early win in litigation challenging the legality of Maryland’s cannabis licensing program as it applies to hemp. By way of background, the Maryland General Assembly...more
10/25/2023
/ Agribusiness ,
Cannabis Act ,
Cannabis Products ,
Hemp ,
Licenses ,
Maryland ,
Plant Based Products ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Recreational Use ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retail Market ,
THC ,
USDA