The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (“UNODC”) recently released its 2019 World Drug Report which, among other things, claims that despite legalization in many states of the U.S., illicit markets in the U.S. have continued to thrive, while…
A draft law recently adopted by the Russian State Duma (lower house of the parliament), though not yet approved by the Federation Council (upper house of the parliament) or signed by the President would amend existing law to allow the…
Beginning in 2020, Nevada and New York City will restrict an employer’s ability to screen job applicants for marijuana use. As marijuana legalization spreads across the country, other jurisdictions will likely follow suit. Employers, especially those that recruit in Nevada…
On June 20, 2019, the House approved by a vote of 267 to 165 an “Appropriations Minibus” amendment sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) that would prohibit the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) from using appropriated funds to prevent any state,…
On March 28, 2019, South Carolina enacted the Hemp Farming Act (Act), which governs the cultivation, handling, and processing of hemp in South Carolina. The Act repealed (with limited grandfathering provisions, as described below) the existing statutes that created the…
New private clinics offering medical cannabis in the UK The Medical Cannabis Clinic has revealed that it will be opening its flagship clinic in London, in Harley Street, this summer. The opening of London’s first such clinic follows the opening…
Given that many of the Democratic Party candidates have expressed support for marijuana legalization, a Democratic victory in 2020 seems likely to increase the chances for significant reform at the federal level. But what about a Republican victory? Although the…
Cannabis and its derivatives have become a major industry in the U.S. and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) is coming under increasing pressure to regulate this growing market. As a first step, FDA is on the hunt for…
Primary season is in full swing, with Democratic candidates crisscrossing Iowa and shaking every hand they can find across New Hampshire. New to this election is the prominence that cannabis legalization and related criminal reform have taken in the major…
In Canada’s increasing liberalization of its cannabis related laws, the manufacture and sale of THC-containing edibles (food, beverages, extracts and topicals) will become legal on October 17, 2019, although these products will not find their way (legally) onto the market…
The trend towards the decriminalization of marijuana in the United States occurred in the context of increasing public acceptance of the drug’s use. According to the Pew Research Center, in 1990, 16 percent of Americans said marijuana should be legal.…
Around the world, countries are discussing cannabis legalization for medical, research, and/or recreational use. Brazil is no different. On June 14th, 2019, ANVISA (the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency) published two public consultations related to cannabis, representing another step in the…
The 2018 Farm Bill removed industrial hemp and all derivatives (including hemp derived CBD) from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). It also provided that intentional violations of the Farm Bill, including unlicensed production of industrial hemp, must…
Thailand’s legalization of cannabis for medical purposes continues to move forward. On 28 May 2019, the Thai Cabinet approved the draft Ministerial Regulation regarding Approval for the Manufacture, Import, Export, Sale, or Possession of Cannabis proposed by the Ministry of…
Patents play an important role in American business by encouraging innovation and investment. The Cannabis industry, which has obtained thousands of patents, is no exception. At least one owner of Cannabis patents has filed a patent infringement action to enforce…
There is an increasing global trend towards legalizing the use of cannabis, albeit to differing extents. Canada and Uruguay have fully legalized cannabis, while New Zealand has legalized cannabis for medical use only—although a referendum will be held in 2020…
On May 24, the US Attorney for the District of Colorado announced the arrest of 42 individuals as a result of a joint state-federal investigation targeting “black market” marijuana. According to an official press release, the investigation began in the…
On May 20, the Ukrainian parliament agreed to consider a bill which would legalize medical cannabis. If the bill is passed, Ukraine would become only the second post-Soviet country to significantly reform its cannabis laws. (In 2017-18, the Constitutional Court…
Two recent rulings by the Supreme Court of Justice of Mexico (“SCJN”) represent a significant milestone in legal cannabis consumption in Mexico. On October 31, 2018, the First Courtroom of the SCJN, under Minister Norma Lucía Piña Hernández, approved the…
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is under increasing pressure to provide regulatory guidance for using hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) in food. Currently, there is no clear route forward, and the FDA rulemaking process will take years. While the recent…
The legalization of medical marijuana in several jurisdictions throughout the US presents employers with the difficult task of reconciling their anti-drug policies with those state statutes authorizing marijuana use for medical purposes. Adding an additional layer of complexity to this…
Across the world, countries are revisiting their laws on the use of cannabis. For some countries, such as Canada and Uruguay, the legalization of the use of cannabis extends to non-medical purposes, including recreational use. For a number of other…
All the world is abuzz with the seemingly sweeping changes to cannabis policies in countries such as Canada, Mexico, Israel, Uraguay, Lesotho, Germany, and the United States. The cannabis industry in the U.S. alone is projected to be a multi-billion…
There has been explosive growth in the cannabis industry, and there is a dizzying array of choices for those looking to invest in this emerging industry. Who will be hot and deliver strong returns? Who will fizzle and fail in…
As the movement towards legalization gains steam, international drug control treaties are a big elephant in the room. To date, legalization advocates and politicians alike have focused on laws at the local and national level. Little attention, however, has been…
Despite state laws decriminalizing varying types of its use, cannabis remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. As a result, the sale, use, and distribution of cannabis remains a federal crime. Individuals and businesses…
Marijuana businesses in the US and US investors in foreign marijuana businesses face a potpourri of federal tax issues. For example, the federal income tax treatment of a domestic marijuana business presents challenges for those entering the field. In 1982,…
One argument in favor of legalizing recreational cannabis was that it would allow the government to collect taxes on previously black-market activity. Concurrent with Canada’s de-criminalization of recreational cannabis production, sale, and use in October 2018, the federal government imposed…
They say that politics makes for strange bedfellows, and nowhere is that more true than in the unlikely coalition of lawmakers working to reform the nation’s cannabis laws. In recent years, public support for legalizing cannabis has increased and legislators…
Throughout Europe, cannabis remains broadly illegal and, in most European countries, selling the plant is a criminal offense. However, many countries have adopted their own laws to permit cannabis purchases, sales, and use for medicinal purposes. The current state of…