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Video 1 KTLA Channel 5 News Story June 18, 2010: Lake Forest Medical Marijuana Dispensary Appealing Injunction Order Video 2 KTTV Channel 11 News Story June 4, 2010: Los Angeles Medical Marijuana Dispensary Challenges LA's Ordinance Video 3 Cannabis Law Group's Attorney Damian Nassiri Sues the City of Los Angeles To Block It's Ban on Medical Marijuana as Featured on PBS's So Cal Insider - Part 1

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There was a time when “I need a cannabis lawyer” meant you were most likely looking for a criminal defense attorney. But the legal landscape of marijuana law has changed drastically – from the early days of becoming the first state to legalize the drug for medicinal purposes in 1996 to the incessant federal raids and civil forfeiture action to the uneasy truce of the Cole Memo to Prop 64’s legalization of marijuana for recreational sale and use in 2016.cannabis business lawyer

Through all of this, the Los Angeles marijuana lawyers at The Cannabis Law Group have been on the forefront of these evolving laws.

Today, “cannabis law” encompasses a broad array of legal services, including:

  • Marijuana business licensing/permitting
  • Civil litigation
  • Regulatory compliance (tracking and tracing, zoning disputes, etc.)
  • Business plans/corporate structure
  • Trademark/patent
  • Employment/labor law
  • Contracts
  • Product liability
  • Premises liability
  • Financial/tax law
  • Unfair competition

And yes, cannabis criminal defense lawyers are still needed too – not only so long as marijuana prohibition is in effect at the federal level but also to handle marijuana DUI cases.

We have been centrally focused on all-things-cannabis law in Los Angeles for the better part of two decades, cultivating a highly-skilled team of knowledgeable, dogged attorneys known for consistently-favorable client results. Continue reading

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The California cannabis industry was one that was truly forged from the bottom-up. But now, it’s the little guys who are increasingly finding themselves on top – specifically, the top shelf. And bottom shelf. And off to the side. That’s not where they’d like to be, given what everyone knows of consumer buying habits – particularly when purchasing on impulse. Prime shelving these days, however, is coming at a premium at local pot stores. Retailers are reportedly charging a pretty penny for those eye-level or feature case spots. cannabis slotting lawyer

Los Angeles marijuana business attorneys recognize that not only does this practice (with some retailers reportedly charging anywhere from several hundred dollars to $50,000 monthly just for product placement) squeeze out the mom-and-pop pot ventures, it may be legally questionable.

In fairness: Everyone in the state’s marijuana market is squeezed pretty tight at the moment, between cumbersome regulation and a black market that threatens to crush the legal competition. That’s exactly how many industry insiders say this all started: Cannabis retailers pushed to the brink by back-alley black market suppliers undercutting legal sales. Continue reading

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Police and prosecutors across the country are grappling with questions regarding the impact of federal hemp laws on criminal marijuana investigations. As one state attorney in Florida put it: Legal hemp is going to make state-level marijuana arrests a whole lot tougher.marijuana arrest

Los Angeles marijuana criminal defense lawyers understand it comes down to the way marijuana trafficking investigations are so often initiated around the country: The ever-objective nose test.

To be fair, cannabis does have its own distinct olfactory properties. As many defense attorneys will tell you in states where the drug is still either banned entirely or restricted to card-carrying medical users, a sizable percentage of marijuana arrests begin with a traffic stop, detection of that aroma and a warrantless vehicle search. (These searches often yield items unrelated, such as other narcotics, firearms, etc.)

Historically, it’s been difficult for marijuana defense lawyers to dispute an officer’s sense of smell, especially where marijuana was indeed later found.

But now, virtually all arrests stemming from that common scenario are going to be called into question, if a memo from one state attorney is correct. Continue reading

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Despite the legality of marijuana in California, actual products may not be eligible for U.S. trademarks, thanks to the fact the plant is still barred under federal law. However, that doesn’t stop Los Angeles marijuana businesses and hemp entrepreneurs from submitting patent and trademark applications.Los Angeles cannabis patent lawyer

Los Angeles marijuana lawyers recognize trademark and patent applications to be an important component of legal marijuana businesses – necessary moves that can protect the product brand, increase the company’s value and shield you from legal action pursued by other firms.

As reported in the most recent edition of Marijuana Business Magazine, some companies report their value has been boosted by tens of millions of dollars as a result of obtaining patent and trademark protections, not just here in the U.S. but in other countries as well.

Trademarks and patents serve two distinct purposes. Trademarks insulate your company branding while patents help shield any unique product development. Continue reading

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The Herculean task of tracing every lawful cannabis plant from seed-to-sale in the largest legal marijuana market in the world was never going to be easy. Although the California Track-and-Trace-System formally went live at the start of this year, it’s still not fully-live.marijuana business license attorney

In fits-and-starts, the red tape system intended to enforce regulation and streamline product standards for safe legal marijuana has unrolled with its fair share of confusion, additional costs and headaches.

Yet many Los Angeles marijuana business lawyers compare it to a root canal: It’s not cheap or pleasant, but it’s got to be done to establish market legitimacy. Working with a cannabis attorney can help the process go much more smoothly with faster, more decisive answers when uncertainty arises. Continue reading

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Could hemp wood become the next market revolution in sustainable products? Some assert it could be manufactured as an alternative – perhaps even a superior one – to polymers, fabrics, paper, soy, corn, wood – maybe even motor vehicle components.hemp lawyer California

Los Angeles hemp business attorneys know it may be something of a misnomer to refer to these uses as revolutionary, as the fibers derived from industrial hemp (one of two forms of the cannabis sativa plant) have been used for many thousands of years by civilizations for production of paper, cloth materials and even fuel. Unlike it’s cousin marijuana, neither hemp nor its derivative CBD contains the psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) known for producing the “high.” That is the primary reason it was removed from the list of narcotics banned per the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, while marijuana remains.

Production of hemp materials has been a mainstay in parts of Europe and China, though in U.S. and many other parts of the world, its use slowed or halted entirely thanks to widespread marijuana prohibition. The current shift is not only due to the “green rush” set off by the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill that legalized industrial hemp, but also by the extreme ecological damage inflicted by polymers and fossil fuels.

Hemp cultivators and manufacturers will need to be cautious as they enter this new domain not only to ensure quality but also compliance with relevant state and federal regulations, including in marketing. Continue reading

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California cannabis vape cartridges will soon carry explicit labeling on its packages. The state announced a new rule in March that all vapor packaging for marijuana products will need to display the state-designed version of the industry-wide symbol, an action causing manufacturers to switch gears – and spend considerable money to do so.Los Angeles cannabis business lawyer

As Los Angeles cannabis lawyers can explain, the cost of non-compliance is likely to be considerably more. Those producing marijuana products need to get a move on fast – by the end of this month. Retailers will have a bit longer.

The symbol in question is a triangle that borders a bud leaf with a bold exclamation point and the letters “CA” (the widely-recognized abbreviation for California) below.

Continue reading

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State lawmakers from California to Maine will not legally be allowed to prohibit the transport of hemp and the CBD derived from it once the U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes it’s regulations on hemp production later this year. That’s according to an advisory opinion from a department attorney, who added states already should not ban or impede the transport of hemp grown legally per a 2014 law. The opinion also specifically took issue with the seizure of 6,700 pounds of hemp seized in Idaho in January. cannabis trucking lawyer

Growing hemp, which is the non-psychoactive cousin of marijuana that has a host of industrial uses (everything fro textiles to twine), is legal under the 2018 Farm Bill Congress passed late last year. Dozens of states are actively working to create a framework to expressly allow for the cultivation and sale of hemp, as many outlawed in state statute to match federal law. Idaho is one of a handful of states where driving through with a sizable load of hemp can result in serious time in prison. Continue reading

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The legal market for marijuana sales in Los Angeles has become something of a Wild West free-for-all that has left very few feeling satisfied: Government officials, legal cannabis companies, law enforcement and those trying to edge their way into the local market.Los Angeles cannabis business attorney

Law enforcement say it’s like playing whack-a-mole, city officials say they’re overwhelmed, legal businesses planning to sue the city and those operating on the fringes without a legal license say they’re only doing what they’ve been doing for years, but operating on the fringe, thanks to being shut out by regulators.

The director of the Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation cracked a joke when asked what she’d do if given an unlimited staff and budget – doing her best Oprah Winfrey impression while opining that, “You get a license! You get a license!” (And no one would be arrested.)  This spurred some laughter and applause from those listening at the retreat in Mendocino County where she spoke, but Los Angeles marijuana business lawyers know: Most of us aren’t laughing. Continue reading

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California hemp and CBD businesses continue to struggle with the lack of access to banking – despite removal from the list of U.S. Controlled Substances Act by the 2018 Farm Bill. As Los Angeles CBD business attorneys can explain, federal lawmakers expressly called for businesses selling CBD and industrial hemp products to be treated as any other legitimate, lawful business. But that isn’t happening.Los Angeles CBD business lawyer

We can thank the lack of clear federal banking law and the reticence of financial institutions. Worse is that ramping up access to these critical business services appears to be happening in fits-and-starts.

This regulatory gray area has caused all kinds of headaches. CBD companies will have access to things like processing of credit card processing one day and the next, the institution has changed its mind, leading to a host of practical problems for businesses in terms of customer satisfaction but also just practically tracking expenses. Continue reading

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