Yesterday, the Mississippi Supreme Court held oral argument in the City of Madison’s challenge to Initiative 65, Mary Hawkins Butler v. Michael Watson, 2020-IA-01199-SCT. Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler asked the court to...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
There is a scene in The Hunt for Red October when Captain Marko Ramius, played wonderfully by the late, great Sean Connery, says of a pending nuclear standoff: “Once more, we play our dangerous game, a game of chess against...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
It has been said that, sooner or later, everything old is new again. In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) sweeping the globe in 2020, a heretofore largely overlooked and even less understood nineteenth...more
Last year, Mississippians voted overwhelmingly to approve Initiative 65 and legalize medical marijuana. While the fate of the initiative is currently in limbo — until the Mississippi Supreme Court decides its fate — it seems...more
3/10/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Compliance ,
Contractors ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Medical Marijuana ,
MS Supreme Court ,
OSHA ,
Policies and Procedures ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Safety ,
Zero Tolerance Policies
A proposal pending in the Oregon Legislative Assembly would limit title insurers’ potential grounds for refusing to insure certain real property transactions involving cannabis. Specifically, HB 2806, presented by Reps. David...more
We recently wrote that Alabama is on the cusp of enacting a medical cannabis program. Today we turn our focus to a key aspect of the current proposal – the requirement that applicants for limited cultivator and integrated...more
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
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
On Friday, the USDA published a long, long awaited Final Rule regulating the production of hemp in the United States. The Final Rule, which arrives more than two years after Congress first allowed for the widespread...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
Mahatma Gandhi once said that “[i]t is health that is the real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver.” For the six sellers of CBD-containing products targeted by the Federal Trade Commission last week, health claims will...more
Earlier this month, voters in five states took to the ballot box and legalized some form of marijuana use. Polls show that two-thirds of Americans now favor marijuana legalization, and 59% said it should be legal for both...more
11/20/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Ballot Measures ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Legalization ,
Local Elections ,
Marijuana ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Elections ,
State Labor Laws ,
Zero Tolerance Policies
On November 3, 2020, Mississippi voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana for Mississippians with certain medical conditions. As we wrote back in February, the amendment will...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
So, you want to start a hemp company in Alabama. You have your big idea and a business plan ready, but you begin to wonder whether you should be thinking about any legal issues as you get your company off the ground. That’s...more
10/7/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Applications ,
Business Development ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Financial Adviser ,
Funding ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Licenses ,
Manufacturers ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retail Market ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Suppliers
Tennessee’s hemp industry is growing fast, and you want in on the action. You have your big idea and a business plan ready. But at some point, you begin to wonder whether you should be thinking about any legal issues as you...more
9/9/2020
/ Banking Sector ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Corporate Entities ,
Employment Policies ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Funding ,
Hemp ,
Insurance Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Supply Contracts ,
Tax Planning
Following sustained criticism from many aspects of the hemp industry, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Friday that it was reopening the comment period for the interim final rule (IFR) that was...more
Now that North Carolina and federal laws provide for the legal cultivation of hemp, you want to start a hemp company. You have your big idea and a business plan ready, but you begin to wonder whether you should be thinking...more
9/3/2020
/ Accounting Standards ,
Agribusiness ,
Business Development ,
Commercial Insurance Policies ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Employment Terms ,
Financial Adviser ,
Funding ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Licensees ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retail Market ,
Suppliers
Now that Mississippi has enacted legislation legalizing the cultivation of hemp, you want to start a hemp company. You have your big idea and a business plan ready, but you begin to wonder whether you should be thinking about...more
8/23/2020
/ Accountants ,
Applications ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Corporate Entities ,
Financial Adviser ,
Funding ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Insurance Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
License Applications ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
State and Local Government ,
Supply Chain ,
USDA
The relationship between the cannabis industry and intellectual property laws in the United States is unique and complicated, in many ways mirroring the nation’s collective views on the cannabis plant. This is unfortunate, in...more
8/7/2020
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Dietary Supplements ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Popular ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
So, you want to start a hemp company. You have your big idea and a business plan ready. At some point, though, you begin to wonder whether you should be thinking about any legal issues as you get your company off the...more
7/22/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Commercial Contracts ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Employment Practices Liability Coverage ,
Funding ,
Hemp ,
Hemp Cultivation ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Licenses ,
Manufacturers ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retail Market ,
Suppliers
...On June 29, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued guidance (the “June guidance”) to “address questions related to Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) regulatory requirements” for providing...more