Jack coordinates the firm’s cannabis business practice in Washington State, by assisting clients in navigating the complex licensing and regulatory system created by Initiative 502. He has counseled numerous companies through compliance and transactional issues including M&A, license transfers, real estate financing, distribution agreements, and goods and services agreements. In addition to his cannabis practice, Jack also advises clients on a wide range of matters at the intersection of business and immigration, including specialty investment and employment visa issues and administrative advocacy.
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“WSLCB”) sent an alert on Thursday, April 6, notifying cannabis licensees of a pattern of pesticide testing failures in Okanogan County. The WSLCB detected several instances of products containing dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (“DDE”) through random pesticide testing and many exceed action levels. The WSLCB is taking the following immediate action
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) voted on Wednesday, March 29, approving an emergency rule proposal to extend the application window for social equity in cannabis (SEIC) retail licenses. The application window has been extended from March 30, 2023, to 5:00 p.m. April 27, 2023. The rule will have the effect of amending
We’ve written regularly about the plight of cannabis businesses not being able to secure traditional lending (and other financial services) from major, federally regulated institutions. In this post, we dive deeper into a promising federally regulated equity offering as an alternative funding means: Rule 504 under Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Regulation D. Why aren’t
Cannabis and business immigration don’t mix. Or at least that’s the conservative guidance we often give clients that come to us with that question. That’s not because a particular investment may not be sound, rather because federal law creates inherent conflicts between immigration eligibility and participating in a cannabis venture. Kate Robertson at MJBizDaily reported
On February 2, 2023, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“LCB”) released an update regarding the interactive mapping tool for determining whether people meet have lived in Disproportionately Impacted Areas (“DIA”). As we wrote about here, having lived in a DIA for at least five years between 1980 and 2010 is one of three
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“WSLCB”) announced this Wednesday, January 18, that the 30 day window to apply for a Washington Social Equity In Cannabis Retail License will open March 1, 2023. The WSLCB will reissue 44 retail licenses to qualified applicants that rank the highest on a points scale to “prioritize” applicants.
Yesterday, January 13, 2023, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“LCB”) released an interactive mapping tool for determining whether people meet have lived in Disproportionately Impacted Areas (“DIA”)–one of three eligibility criteria for the forthcoming Social Equity in Cannabis (“SEIC”) program licensing. The map can be found by a link on the LCB’s website,
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“LCB”) has clarified what cannabinoid additives are allowed in Cannabis products in WA. The LCB recently published a notice that it had adopted interpretive statement IS22-01, “Use of Additives in Authorized Cannabis Products”. The adopted policy statement clarifies that non-cannabidiol (“non-CBD”) cannabinoids may be added to cannabis products
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“WSLCB”) published an industry update on October 25 detailing a recent increase in complaints by cannabis producers and processors of “pay to play” terms. Apparently, some cannabis producers and processors have been paying retailers to acquire shelf space for their cannabis products. These arrangements have become prominent enough
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) voted and approved the Social Equity in Cannabis rule proposal yesterday morning, October 11. The Board’s approval will add section “570” to Washington Annotated Code Chapter 314-55. There was hope that the public comment period would yield some meaningful alterations to section 570, but the rule remains
