I’ll never forget when the Alabama Legislature and governor approved a medical cannabis regime. We wrote about it with great fervor at the time. In some ways, it feels like yesterday. In others, a lifetime ago. As has been...more
The United States Supreme Court once famously wrote that “[l]iberty finds no refuge in a jurisprudence of doubt.” There is perhaps no area of the law where doubt rules more than the cannabis industry, and perhaps no corner of...more
This is the first in what we hope will be a regular feature where our editors – Whitt Steineker, Jay Wright, Hunter Robinson, and Slates Veazey – discuss cannabis issues in the news and take a stab at where the cannabis...more
One of the largest headwinds facing the cannabis industry is the lack of access to banking services. Many financial institutions refuse to serve the multibillion-dollar cannabis industry given the regulatory uncertainty...more
6/22/2022
/ Banking Regulators ,
BSA/AML ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Popular ,
SAFE Act ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)
Only three months – 90(ish) days – until the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission is scheduled to begin accepting applications for licenses. It was a year ago when this all started. And like raising children, the days pass...more
6/1/2022
/ Agribusiness ,
Alabama ,
Applications ,
Cannabis Products ,
Legalization ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
State and Local Government
When Neil Young wrote that “Southern change gonna come at last,” he wasn’t talking about cannabis— but he might as well have been in light of the recent and extraordinary developments in the cannabis industry in the southern...more
5/16/2022
/ Agribusiness ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Dispensaries ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
When we last examined marijuana reform at the federal level earlier this year, we warned that perfect can be the enemy of good. Our point was that we should not forego meaningful federal cannabis reform by holding out for...more
The Mississippi Department of Revenue (MDOR) released information on Friday, April 15, regarding the licensing and operations of dispensaries under the medical cannabis regime in Mississippi. We feel like a broken record, but...more
4/22/2022
/ Alcohol Beverage Control ,
Applications ,
Business Licenses ,
Business Plans ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Proposed Regulation ,
State and Local Government
On April 8, the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH) used a Friday news dump to release good news on the Mississippi medical cannabis front. We now have a clearer and fuller picture of how the state will regulate testing...more
4/14/2022
/ Advertising ,
Applications ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Comment Period ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Marketing ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Proposed Regulation ,
State and Local Government ,
Testing Requirements ,
Work Permits
As the world turns in the new and exciting world of legal medical cannabis in Mississippi, momentum and progress coexist alongside impediments.
The Good -
Yesterday, the Mississippi Department of Health made two...more
4/7/2022
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Governor Reeves ,
Legalization ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
On April 1, 2022, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3617 ̶ the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act). This groundbreaking legislation, if passed in the Senate, would roll back more than 80...more
Earlier this week, leadership from both chambers of the Mississippi Legislature agreed to a draft bill for a Mississippi medical marijuana program. Lawmakers have asked Gov. Tate Reeves to call them into special session on...more
10/1/2021
/ Cannabis Act ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Governor Reeves ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
Alabama became the 36th state to allow cannabis for medical use when Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law the Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act on May 17, 2021. The act establishes a process through which applicants will...more
8/27/2021
/ Alabama ,
Cannabis Products ,
Legalization ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Transport Rule
On July 14, 2021, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) unveiled a draft of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act.
The...more
The Mississippi Medical Marijuana program will not go forward – at least not at this time. On Friday, the Mississippi Supreme Court handed down its decision in the City of Madison’s challenge to Initiative 65, Mary Hawkins...more
In February a bill to legalize, regulate, and tax non-smokable medicinal cannabis passed through the Alabama Senate on a 21-10 vote. Progress on the bill slowed after moving to the House. The medical cannabis bill passed both...more
Over the last month, the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH) has been working to meet the July 1, 2021, deadline that Initiative 65 imposed on the MSDH to publish its final rules and regulations governing Mississippi’s...more
Mississippi is on the precipice of implementing a medical marijuana regime, as Mississippians voted overwhelmingly to approve Initiative 65 last November. Those awaiting the green light should take advantage of the additional...more
3/24/2021
/ Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Documentation ,
IRC Section 280E ,
IRS ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local v State Laws ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
State Taxes ,
Treasury Regulations
When Alabama’s Legislature convenes for its annual session on February 2, lawmakers will once again be asked to consider a bill that would provide certain Alabamians with access to medical cannabis. And this time, supporters...more
This is the final article in a three-part series focused on the intersection of the 2020 United States presidential election and cannabis policy. Each article has focused on the specific presidential candidates of the two...more
This is the second article in a three-part series focused on the intersection of the 2020 United States presidential election and marijuana policy. Each article will focus on the specific presidential candidates of the two...more
This is the first article in a three-part series focused on the intersection of the 2020 presidential election and cannabis policy in the United States. Each article will focus on the specific presidential candidates of the...more
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Study Commission held its second meeting in Montgomery on September 9. The composition of the commission changed at the beginning of the second meeting with the addition of five new members,...more
In a surprise to some, a Republican-controlled Senate Committee has scheduled a hearing to consider the current challenges to providing financial services to cannabis-related businesses operating in states that have legalized...more
[This is the first in a series of client alerts regarding the status of medical marijuana efforts in Alabama.]
Is Alabama poised to join the growing number of states allowing the use of medical marijuana under state law?...more