Category: Legal

The cannabis industry is growing faster than federal and state laws can keep up. While the gap between regulation and reality persists, entrepreneurs are investing time and capital developing valuable business information. However, the disparity between federal law and the law in those states that have legalized cannabis can leave…

On January 1, 2020, Illinois became the 11th state to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, more than 495,000 transactions occurred in the first 12 days of recreational sales, resulting in nearly $20 million in sales. With such a positive reaction to the new, emerging…

You have worked hard to build your cannabis company and have just started to gain traction. Now you are sitting across the table from an investor who is offering to provide growth capital. You have studied the voluminous press coverage on the range of financing options considered by cannabis investors,…

Cannabis capital markets appear to be drying up. Headlines once dominated by successful capital raises and expensive strategic acquisitions are now consumed with reports of an apparent crash, involving dwindling stock prices, unrealistic revenue targets, deals falling apart and mass layoffs. The California-based cannabis retail behemoth MedMen Enterprises Inc. (OTC:MMNFF)…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release on November 25 concerning its recent enforcement actions and a regulatory decision concerning products that contain CBD. The warning letters follow FDA’s trend of focusing its CBD product enforcement on unapproved drug claims. The regulatory decision stated in the press release…

A look back at some of the most important pieces of advice published in the pages of Marijuana Venture in 2019

Thanks to the advocacy efforts of cannabis entrepreneurs in Massachusetts, businesses owned by women and minorities will now receive priority review of their licensing applications — a benefit previously reserved for “economic empowerment” applicants alone. Prior to this change, most minority business enterprises (MBEs) and women’s business enterprises (WBEs), which…

Traditionally, California employers have hired workers as employees or independent contractors to fit the needs of their businesses. The state’s laws generally require employers to provide employees with protections such as overtime compensation, paid sick leave and unemployment and workers’ compensation insurance. Independent contractors, on the other hand, do not…

In 2012, when voters in Colorado and Washington legalized recreational marijuana sales, lawmakers and regulators were concerned about how legalization would impact public health and safety and how to ensure adequate control over the tracking, production and sale of legal products. But there was little done to ensure the opportunities…

The snake-oil salesmen of the California Gold Rush were more likely to be stoned than sued or prosecuted for their questionable claims. CBD product purveyors looking to capitalize on the current Green Rush, however, must navigate an assortment of evolving federal regulations or risk receiving ominous warning letters from the…