Ensuring Entrepreneurs and Businesses Stay Informed of Developments in the Burgeoning Cannabis Industry
Happy Holidays! Cannabis Regulators Announce Higher Taxes and Suspend Cannabis Permits in California
California cannabis businesses and consumers have faced a rash of challenges as state agencies hike taxes and suspend business licenses. There is no sign of let up. On November 21, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) announced hikes on next year’s cannabis mark up and cultivation tax rates. Effective January 1, 2020, the newest mark up rate will increase from 60% to 80%.
Read MoreHappy Thanksgiving from the Joint Status Report and Locke Lord Cannabis Team
Due to the holiday, we won’t have a new episode this week of the Joint Status Report podcast. But we did want to take a minute to express how thankful we are for our listeners and everyone that visits this blog.
Read MoreThe Joint Status Report, A Cannabis Industry Podcast Presented by Locke Lord – Ep. 16
On this episode of The Joint Status Report, Doug Sargent and David Standa discuss the results of the lottery for the early-use secondary sites to be placed in the City of Chicago (1:01), the passage of the MORE Act out of the House Judiciary Committee (5:39), the recent ADA/medical marijuana lawsuit filed against Amazon (11:19), and the concerning trend of ADA website-based lawsuits being filed against CBD companies (16:12).
Read MoreHouse Judiciary Committee Approves Marijuana Decriminalization Bill, But Significant Hurdles Remain
The “Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019” or “MORE Act” passed the House Judiciary Committee with a 24-10 vote on November 20, 2019. As we wrote about in more detail here and discussed on our podcast here, the MORE Act is a marijuana decriminalization bill that would, among other things, remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, allow states to set their own policy for marijuana legalization, implement a federal tax on marijuana products sold in states where such sales are legal, and seek to ensure that those impacted by the war on drugs have an opportunity to be a part of the cannabis industry.
Read MoreMichigan Recreational Marijuana Sales Will Begin December 1 From Existing Medical Inventory
Last week, the Marijuana Regulatory Agency announced that the sale of recreational marijuana can begin December 1, 2019, which is earlier than most anticipated. In another pleasant surprise, the recreational market will not be required to start from scratch with new grows earmarked specifically for recreational marijuana.
Read MoreIllinois Amends Cannabis Law: Four Things You Need to Know
Acknowledging certain changes were needed to the state’s landmark cannabis legalization bill, Illinois lawmakers passed a trailer bill last week containing several substantive revisions. Here are the four key changes.
Read MoreAmazon the Latest to Face Discrimination Suit Over Medical Marijuana in the Workplace
The majority of U.S. states have legalized medical marijuana. Yet many of those same states do not have laws on the books regarding testing for marijuana in the workplace, and in the absence of such laws, many companies continue to test employees for marijuana and take adverse action based on positive tests.
Read MoreThe Joint Status Report, A Cannabis Industry Podcast Presented by Locke Lord – Ep. 15
On this episode of The Joint Status Report, Doug Sargent and David Standa discuss The Hounds Lab marijuana breathalyzer and how it could be implemented by law enforcement (:45) and the upcoming lottery for the early-use secondary sites to be placed in the City of Chicago (5:08). Additionally, David and friend of the podcast, Irina Dashevsky, interview Mallory Czuchra of National Cannabis Insurance Services (www.ntlcannabis.com) about the need for insurance in the industry and the challenges with pricing the various insurance products (8:01).
Read MoreCalifornia Authorities Ramp Up Efforts to Reduce Illegal Cannabis Growing Operations
Two recent articles from the Los Angeles Times suggest that authorities in California have increased their efforts (and perhaps their effectiveness) in curbing illegal cannabis grown in the state. According to one article, 345 state law enforcement raids this year resulted in the seizure of almost 1 million marijuana plants from unlicensed growers.
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