I can’t count how many times I have been talking to a client about a business venture, and I stop them in the middle of their explanation and say, “You just issued securities.” I get a blank stare looking back at me. Then I say, “Securities is one thing you do not want to get […]

In prior blog posts (see here, here, and here), I described how we field regular inquiries regarding international cannabis, both from companies inside the U.S. looking internationally and from international companies looking to the U.S. market. This post deals with geography issues for international companies seeking to enter the U.S. market. Where to locate your […]

Cannabis supply chain agreements (e.g., manufacturing agreements, distribution agreements, license agreements, supply agreements) can be difficult enough to draft and negotiate when there are just two parties. The immense amount of over-regulation in the cannabis world can make contract drafting a headache, and even more difficult for attorneys who are not well-versed in cannabis. That […]

I recently teamed up with my colleagues Hilary Bricken and Griffen Thorne to put on a free webinar answering all of your pressing questions about cannabis legal issues in California. (Check out the replay here.) The response was overwhelmingly positive, and we received a lot of great questions that we weren’t able to get to […]

In prior blog posts (see here, here, and here), I described how we have been fielding regular inquiries regarding international cannabis, both from companies inside the U.S. looking internationally and from international companies looking to the U.S. market. This post deals with state governance and geography issues for international companies seeking to enter the U.S. […]

On May 20, 2020, Marijuana Moment reported on a new development on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) position on hemp-derived cannabidiol (Hemp CBD). The article centers on the following tweet from the FDA: Summitt Labs Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of KORE ORGANIC Watermelon CBD Oil Due to High Lead Results https://t.co/y2oklEZzx4 pic.twitter.com/1SlB9mnhLI — U.S. […]

As I mentioned in a prior post (see here), we have been fielding regular inquiries from international cannabis companies that want to engage with the U.S. market by selling raw hemp or cannabis, distillates (including cannabinoids), and products, including products that have been proven in their home markets. This post is addressed to companies considering […]

In this post, I want to explore something very significant that a lot of people gloss over when reviewing contracts: non-compete clauses. Non-compete clauses are exactly what they sound like: they prohibit one party from competing with another. A common example of a non-compete is in an executive employment agreement, where an executive of a […]

  In Washington’s closed cannabis marketplace, we see plenty of license purchases and sales, with deals structured in many creative ways, always to maximize the likelihood of regulatory approval from the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board. Washington’s cannabis regulations are among the most stringent, consistent with Washington’s Department of Revenue’s application of Washington’s taxation statutes. […]

Colorado-based United Cannabis Corporation (“UCANN”) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 22. Regular readers may recall that UCANN is the plaintiff in the first ever cannabis patent protection case which generally concerned liquid cannabinol formulations of a purified CBD and/or THC greater than 95%. That litigation is now stayed (paused) as a result […]