mlk cannabis marijuana

MLK Day: Cannabis and Civil Rights

Happy MLK Day! If Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, he would almost certainly advocate to end the War on Drugs. Dr. King never spoke publicly about drugs or cannabis in particular: he was assassinated in 1968, two years before President Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). But it is well established that

cannabis in 2022

Cannabis in 2022: Let’s Look Forward Instead of Back

I really fought myself on putting together a festivus post of all that went wrong for the cannabis industry in 2021. Instead, I want to focus on the positives for 2022 as the industry continues to mature and expand across the U.S. and abroad. As 2021 comes to a close, here’s what I’m looking forward

irs cannabis tax reporting guidelines

Cannabis Taxpayers, the IRS is Here to Help

For the past year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has directed its attention to the cannabis industry– in a helpful way! This includes promulgation of cannabis tax guidelines as well as webinars and public forums dedicated to tax compliance for marijuana businesses (together, the “Guidelines”). The stated IRS goal here is “to positively impact filing

hemp cbd fda congress

Feds Might Regulate CBD as a Food Ingredient

The CBD Product Safety and Standardization Act (the Act) indicates that the Feds might regulate CBD as a food ingredient, and that it may lead to regulation of other cannabinoids. If the Feds regulate CBD as a food ingredient, it could seriously change the game (in a good way) for hemp CBD companies. On December

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Marijuana Banking: SAFE Banking Act is Dead on Arrival. Again.

The hopes for better and increased marijuana banking, which were tied up in the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act (a serious and common sense federal marijuana banking bill), are currently dashed since the SAFE Banking Act has been left out of the Senate’s changes to the National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA“). The impact?

hemp cannabis ada website accessibility blind

Hemp Companies Face Latest Round of ADA Complaints

Last year, I wrote that business owners need to be aware of a growing trend of federal class action lawsuits claiming business websites and point-of-sale terminals violate Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (the “ADA”). At this point, having a website that makes sales and isn’t broadly accessible is an invitation to be

Box with large cannabis sticker on it in green mailbox

Mailing Hemp Cannabinoid Products in the U.S.

Now that the holiday season is upon us, hemp-derived cannabinoid (Hemp Cannabinoid) companies are getting busy selling and shipping their products to consumers throughout the country. In addition to limiting the sale and distribution of their products to jurisdictions where these products are expressly allowed and regulated, Hemp Cannabinoid companies should also familiarize themselves with

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ESG and Cannabis is No Easy Task Right Now

Socially responsible and “sustainable” investing is picking up in popularity across retail and institutional investors alike. According to Wikipedia, “[i]n less than 20 years, the ESG movement has grown from a corporate social responsibility initiative launched by the United Nations into a global phenomenon representing more than US$30 trillion in assets under management.” When it

states rights act cannabis marijuana

New Kid on the Block: States Reform Act

I feel like we’re living in an upside down world when it comes to cannabis legalization at the federal level. The main reason being that Dems, despite in being in full control of Congress and the White House, just can’t get the ball across the line on a number of cannabis reform bills. This includes

fedearl cannabis legalization marijuana congress

Federal Cannabis Legalization is Not Happening Anytime Soon

Since California passed the Compassionate Use Act in 1996, there have always been folks who insist that federal legalization is right around that corner. As more and more states decriminalized and then regulated cannabis, the ranks of people who believe federal legalization is imminent has grown exponentially. Recently, when Joe Biden won the presidency, it