employer and employee

Oregon Cannabis: Employment Law Issues for Struggling Businesses

We all know the Oregon cannabis industry is struggling. We write often about the causes on a macro level, possible solutions, and what we see as business litigators. We haven’t written much about one of the basic areas of employment law that applies to Oregon marijuana businesses: workers rights to wages and employer responsibilities. As

CAURD applicants

What is a Labor Peace Agreement and Why Do CAURD Applicants Need One?

Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary (“CAURD”) license applicants and those applicants seeking unconditional licenses in New York must comply with the New York State mandate and enter into, maintain and comply with a Labor Peace Agreement (“LPA”) with a bona-fide labor union. However, an LPA is not required to apply for a CAURD license, but

independent contractor exceptions

California Cannabis Workers: Independent Contractor Exceptions

California deems nearly all kinds of workers employees. There are, however, some important circumstances where workers may be classified as contractors. In my first post of this series, “Classifying California Cannabis Workers,” I explained the basics of employee versus independent contractor classification. Today, I look at some of the key independent contractor exceptions for California

california cannabis workers

Classifying California Cannabis Workers

California is one of the trickiest states in the U.S. for employers, and especially for cannabis employers. The numerous, byzantine requirements here simply don’t exist in many other states. Classifying California cannabis workers is one of the biggest challenges for local industry. Cannabis companies often think they can get around employment law requirements by calling

equity compensation cannabis business

Equity Compensation for Cannabis Employees

Previously we wrote about equity compensation for cannabis employees from the perspective of companies. We have been dealing with more and more companies adding equity to their overall compensation scheme, so now is a good time to revisit it from the employee perspective. For an overview of the types of equity compensation available, see here.

cannabis securities partnership lawsuit

My Minority Partner Came Back After Years Away and Wants Money. What Do I Do?

Over the years in my practice, including several instances in the past six months, I have advised cannabis business owners when a former partner has come back to haunt the business operations, usually looking for some type of payout based on a prior conversation or an agreement originally inked upon a lost napkin or envelope.