canna law blog

Much Ado About RICO

Our Oregon lawyers have been fielding many questions regarding a recent civil RICO complaint filed in the federal court in Portland, Oregon styled as McCart v. Beddow et al. This case was filed on the heels of the Safe Streets decision out of Colorado that we discussed recently, and was clearly heavily influenced by that decision. You

canna law blog

Coats v. Dish Network and Firing Employees for Cannabis

On June 7, 2010 Dish Networks LLC fired Brandon Coats for violating the company’s drug policy  after a random drug test showed Coats was using marijuana. Coats is a quadriplegic who has been confined to a wheelchair since he was a teenager. He started working at Dish in 2007 as a telephone customer service representative. In

canna law blog

Right to Privacy Includes Marijuana Personal Use in Alaska: Ravin v. State

Attorney Irwin Ravin was arrested on October 11, 1972, and charged with violating Alaska Statute 17.12.010 for possessing cannabis for personal use. Before trial in front of the Alaska District Court, Ravin attacked the constitutionality of AS 17.12.010 by a motion to dismiss asserting that the state had violated his right of privacy under both the

canna law blog

The Commerce Clause and Medical Marijuana: Gonzales v. Raich, 545 U.S. 1 (2005)

California voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996, allowing qualified patients to cultivate and use marijuana for designated medical illnesses and conditions. Though this permits cannabis cultivation and use in California, anything related to cannabis remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Angel Raich, a qualified medical cannabis patient, who was provided cannabis for medical use