With the state substantially altering its cannabis tax structure, the California cannabis industry is expected to get a substantial tax break, which lawmakers are hoping will boost the legal industry left lagging by competition with illicit sales, extensive bureaucracy, and heavy taxation. If the effort is successful, there is a…
Marijuana retailers in the Golden State have been doing an an amazing job impeding underage access to cannabis. That’s according to a new study just published in the Journal of Safety Research. This is excellent news because one of the core points of opposition to legalization of recreational marijuana sales…
Federal authorities with the U.S. Treasure Department want banks to begin collecting – and turning over – data from their marijuana clients so investigators can uncover potential money laundering schemes. Although our Los Angeles marijuana business lawyers know this news might cause wariness among those in the pot industry, it’s…
A California bill that would ban discrimination of employees who use cannabis off-the-clock has passed the State Assembly and is now on its way to the State Senate. Assembly Bill No. 2188 calls for revision of the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) – specifically the provision that deals…
CBD business operators currently have a sizeable economic advantage when it comes to their high-THC cannabis/extract counterparts. Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, their operations are legal, (in many jurisdictions) lightly taxed, and available through online sales. But what will it mean for the CBD side of things when/if marijuana…
The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to return more than $1 million in seized marijuana funds to settle a lawsuit filed last year by a California cannabis business lawsuit alleging “highway robbery.” Funds at issue belonged to Empyreal Logistics, an armored car company based in Pennsylvania that was targeted…
For years, the State of California dragged its heels on regulating hemp-derived CBD. Numerous legislative efforts had failed time-and-again – until last year, with the passage of AB-45, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, which allowed for the inclusion of hemp and CBD extracts in food, beverages, cosmetics, dietary supplements, processed…
A recent lawsuit the maker of Skittles candy against a California-based cannabis company is indicative of a trend our Los Angeles cannabis attorneys expect to continue if marijuana business brands continue to copycat big-name candies. In Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company v. Terphogz, LLC, the Chicago-based candymaker of Skittles launched an…
A cannabis money transport firm is suing the federal government in California Court over a civil forfeiture of cash by law enforcement officers in Kansas and California, who were working in conjunction with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. As our Los Angeles cannabis company lawyers recognize, the case underscores the…
Residency requirements attached to state cannabis laws may not withstand challenges to constitutionality. The first precedential opinion on this issue is expected sometime in the next few months by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal in Maine. The case, Northeast Patients Group et al. v. Figueroa, involves a challenge…