canna law blog

Cannabis Crowdfunding Is Here

Most cannabis businesses are small businesses. Many of them need money. Some of them have access to capital. And all of them are subject to fundraising laws. We build out canna (and non-canna) deals regularly in Oregon, Washington, California and elsewhere. Though some of our clients are publicly traded, the majority are closely held businesses

canna law blog

Working in Weed: Labor and Employment Issues in the Cannabis Industry

On April 26, 2016, I moderated a panel discussion at the University of Washington School of Law called “Working in Weed.” The discussion focused on employment and labor issues in the cannabis industry. The panelists were as follows: Robert McVay of the Canna Law Group Lea Vaughn, Professor of Law at UW, with an expertise

canna law blog

Marijuana Patents: Fear, Loathing, and Beating Monsanto

Some of you may have noticed that on the day before 4/20 this year, Monsanto tweeted the following public service announcement: Tomorrow is 4/20. FYI: Monsanto has not & is not working on GMO marijuana. We address other Monsanto myths here: http://monsanto.info/23XSjum  But what about in the future? Is Monsanto GMO marijuana a possibility? That’s

canna law blog

The Top 10 Things You Need to Know to Start a Cannabis Business in Oregon

This is the second installment on our state by state series on “The Top Ten Things You Need to Know to Start a Cannabis Business.” Our first entry, on Washington, is here. Today’s entry covers Oregon, a pot friendly state with two separate programs: a recreational marijuana program run by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC),

canna law blog

The Top Ten Things You Need to Know to Start a Cannabis Business in Washington

This is our first installment in what will be an intermittent state by state series on “The Top Ten Things to Know to Start a Cannabis Business.” We figured we would start with Washington State because that is where our cannabis business lawyers got their start back in 2010. Washington recently combined its medical and

canna law blog

Oregon Marijuana: The Banking Bill

This is the final installment in a four-part series on the new Oregon marijuana bills, all of which arrived in the recently concluded short session. If you wish to catch up, our summary of HB 4014 (abolishing residency requirements) is here, our summary of SB 1511 (medical and recreational co-location) is here, and our summary

canna law blog

Oregon Marijuana: Many More Changes with the Christmas Tree Bill

This is the third installment in a four-part series on the new Oregon marijuana bills, all of which arrived in the recently concluded short session. If you would like to catch up, our summary of HB 4014 (abolishing residency requirements) is here, and our summary of SB 1511 (medical and recreational co-location) is here. This

canna law blog

Oregon Cannabis: The Merger of Recreational and Medical has Begun

Welcome to the second piece in what will be a four-part series on the new Oregon marijuana bills, all of which came out of the recently concluded short session. This entry surveys enrolled SB 1511, one of two omnibus bills that make significant improvements to the Oregon marijuana regime. For the other omnibus bill, check

canna law blog

Oregon Opens Its Cannabis Industry to Non-Residents

    On March 3, the Oregon legislative short session ended. Our representatives covered quite a lot in just 35 days, including the passage of four good marijuana bills and one great hemp bill. Governor Kate Brown signed two of the marijuana bills yesterday, March 7, and the others should be endorsed shortly. Because each new bill