Now that the dust is starting to settle on the recent news that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recommended to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) that marijuana be moved from Schedule I to...more
9/20/2023
/ Advertising ,
Banking Sector ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
State and Local Government
Maybe it was inevitable. Anyone who has seen another state award competitive licenses for a limited number of cannabis operators knew well that Alabama’s process would result in litigation. That was not an indictment of...more
9/13/2023
/ Alabama ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licensees ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Open Meetings Act ,
State and Local Government
Jimmy Buffett was a spirit animal of the Budding Trends blog. We don’t quote from him as often as we do the Grateful Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic, or popular movies, but maybe because in many ways his lyrics are too good for...more
9/11/2023
/ Agribusiness ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Recreational Use
For years, the cannabis industry has been the purview of entrepreneurs and those willing to operate in gray areas — those willing to take some measure of risk to recover the premium on that risk. As cannabis has become legal...more
I have literally (yes, literally) lost track of the number of times that the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission or a court has ordered a halt to the AMCC’s efforts to issue licenses to medical cannabis operators. If you...more
9/1/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
Last Thursday was License Award Day 2.0 for the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Nineteen of the applicants awarded licenses in June, before the process was halted due...more
8/15/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government
Last week in a small hearing room in a House office building, the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services held a hearing titled “Hemp in the Modern World: The Years long Wait for...more
We’ve been tossing this idea around in our heads ever since research about microdosing psychedelics entered the mainstream media a few years ago. And the more we think about it, the more we think Congress may allow patient...more
In a shocking development only four days after announcing its intent to issue 21 licenses to cultivators, processors, dispensaries, secured transporters, laboratory testing facilities, and integrated facilities, the Alabama...more
6/19/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Stays
Yesterday was a day years in the making for would-be medical cannabis operators in Alabama, as the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) announced its intent to issue 21 licenses to cultivators, processors, dispensaries,...more
6/13/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government
Oh Daddy! It’s not “Rumours” or one of your “Dreams” – although it may be “Second Hand News” to our most knowledgeable readers: A federal court in Washington recently upheld the state’s cannabis residency requirement for...more
Attention Alabama medical cannabis applicants! You can buy your flowers tomorrow, and if you haven’t made Valentine’s dinner reservations already it’s probably too late (you’ll be happy later you didn’t go out on Valentine’s...more
If you give me an opportunity to quote George Harrison, I’m going to do it. In “Taxman,” he wrote:
Should five percent appear too small Be thankful I don’t take it all ‘Cause I’m the taxman -
I suspect “The Quiet One”...more
Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” is an anthem to love and growing old. Among its many great lines is “wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” Can you tell I recently turned 40?
But I write today not about what I...more
1/19/2023
/ Alabama ,
Applications ,
Banks ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Deadlines ,
Insurance Industry ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Real Estate Market ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government
I’m not proud of it, but I’m the resident cynic amongst the editorial staff here at Budding Trends when it comes to federal marijuana reform. And after all, someone has to temper the frivolous whims of others. But we’re...more
1/5/2023
/ Banking Reform ,
Banking Sector ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Farm Bill ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Legalization ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SAFE Act
Lost for many in the avalanche of news about the midterms, voters in five states went to the polls last month to vote on proposals allowing adult-use (often referred to as “recreational”) cannabis....more
I don’t think the great Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits was talking about Congress when he wrote “that’s the way you do it, money for nothing,” but the recent midterm elections reminded me of that cynical refrain.
A few...more
11/28/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Federal Elections ,
Lame Duck Session ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government
Let’s face it: Being a lawyer is not a career for everyone. Or most people with a desire for a satisfying life. Being a cannabis lawyer is for a narrower slice of us. It’s certainly not something I envisioned doing as I sat...more
Welcome to the second installment of the Editors’ Roundtable, in which 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
10/5/2022
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State and Local Government
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 changes in the cannabis industry in Southeastern United States represent some of the most surprising and remarkable changes in the history of the industry...
Originally published by Bloomberg Law....more
9/15/2022
/ Alabama ,
Arkansas ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Florida ,
Georgia ,
Louisiana ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
North Carolina ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Tennessee
Last week, following a six-week notice and comment period, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission voted to approve the previously released proposed rules. This is an important step in keeping the program on the timetable set...more
When people learn that you are a cannabis attorney, there are a range of reactions. Nervous laughter bordering on incredulity may be most common. Another common reaction is the sentiment that investing in cannabis is a...more
With apologies to Ben Franklin and others, nothing is more certain if you operate a cannabis company than your need for access to banking services and insurance (FWIW, the death and taxes part is probably also the case). This...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)