Some readers may be surprised to realize that a lot of cannabis stakeholders actually don’t want broadsweeping federal legalization. Why? Because they know it means that they’ll instantly be competing with well-established companies that are already masters of economies of scale, branding, marketing, and consumer sales, and their market share will shrink or be eliminated
Back in 2015, we wrote about the U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) taking issue with companies placing cannabis ads in the mail. In a written notice dated November 27, 2015, issued by the Portland, Oregon, District Mailing Requirements Office, the USPS explained: [i]f a mailpiece contains an advertisement for marijuana, that mailpiece is nonmailable” where the
In follow-up to this post, we are happy to report that Dr. Sisley is still fighting the good fight: on Monday, Petitioners filed a Petition for Panel Rehearing or Rehearing En Banc. Although it’s not uncommon for these to get filed, few and far in between are granted (filing such a petition to rehash the
On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) released its first statement via a consumer update regarding Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (“Delta-8 THC”). The agency decided to provide consumers with key information surrounding the popular cannabinoid following a sharp increase in adverse event reports involving the substance and unauthorized marketing practices directed at minors. If you
Well, it’s over (for now) for Suzanne Sisley. As we covered last year, Sisley, et al. v. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, et al., Case No. 20-71433, was an appellate case filed by a group of scientists and veterans that had sued the DEA in May 2020. They, like so many others, argued that the DEA’s
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) maintained its strict and narrow position on the legality of cannabidiol (“CBD”) by rejecting two new dietary ingredient (“NDI”) notifications submitted by Charlotte’s Web and Irwin Naturals. Both companies sought agency clearance to market their full-spectrum hemp extract as “dietary supplements.” In its letters to these
The year 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of the so-called War on Drugs. As states across the country decriminalize and commercialize legal cannabis, some have declared drugs the winner of the Drug War. There is some truth to this assessment. Two-thirds of Americans currently support decriminalizing marijuana, now referred to by its less racialized, scientific
Nationwide, cannabis companies and advocates are hailing the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act as the savior of the future of cannabis (a copy of the bill is here). If the Act passes, we will finally have federal legalization and the consequences of the current federal conflict will end, or, at least be reversed in the
On June 29, the House Appropriations Committee (the Committee) released the draft of the fiscal year 2022 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill (the FY22 Agriculture Appropriations Bill), along with its Committee Report, in which it offers some promising provisions and instructions that would greatly benefit the hemp industry.
On Wednesday, a draft bill was released to end America’s federal cannabis prohibition and remove “marijuana” from the Controlled Substances Act. The bill, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is titled the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act and was introduced as a discussion draft
