At 5:30 p.m. yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom took a giant step forward in preventing the spread of COVID-19 by enacting a “Stay At Home” order (the “Order”) across the state, mandating that California state residents remain in their homes, except to fulfill “essential” needs. The Order is in place seemingly indefinitely as Newsom would […]
On behalf of everyone at Harris Bricken, our hearts go out to all those impacted by COVID-19 around the world — not only those diagnosed with the virus, but also their friends and family and those whose work, education, and way of life have been affected. Our top priority, as always, is the health and […]
Under most U.S. states’ laws, coronavirus likely constitutes a force majeure – an “act of God” – a severe, unforeseeable circumstance beyond the control of any contracting party. No party created this act of God — both are “innocent parties”; both will likely suffer from breach. Contract clauses governing such unusual events are named force […]
We just published a post on what cannabis businesses can be doing to stay ahead of the curve with respect to the coronavirus (COVID-19), which is shutting down businesses across the globe. In this post, my goal is to talk about things that California can do to ease the situation for California cannabis companies, all […]
Yesterday at the close of business, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) emailed stakeholders an update on COVID-19. This update was in response to an earlier proclamation by Governor Jay Inslee which shut down restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and any other venues where people congregate to eat and drink. The proclamation also prohibits […]
Add “global pandemic” to the list of challenges faced by the sputtering cannabis industry. The coronavirus COVID-19 is tearing across the U.S. economy. Businesses everywhere are making very difficult decisions. In many cases, those decisions are being made for them. As I write this post on the evening of Sunday, March 15, the Federal […]
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulatory authority over hemp […]
Although the enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp, the production of the plant and its derivatives – or certain aspects of it – remain prohibited in some states. As a result, many stakeholders are contemplating the idea of using synthetic CBD over its naturally derived counterpart. But does the lack of hemp and […]
For those who couldn’t make the live event on January 30th, or those who just want to listen again, the recording of KCRW’s “Take Me To Your Dealer” panel, featuring our own Hilary Bricken, is available below: “Take Me To Your Dealer” is part of the ongoing KCRW @Home series dedicated to hosting […]
We’ve been writing about various European countries’ approaches to regulating hemp (or auf Deutsch, Hanf) and hemp-derived cannabidiol (which I’ll refer to as “CBD”). While readers of the blog know that the legalization of hemp via the 2018 Farm Bell led to a massive CBD explosion in the United States, it’s only starting to dawn […]
