Category: July 2020

As previously discussed here in my introductory blog post about Novel Foods in the European Union (EU), the sale of cannabidiol (CBD) products in all EU Member States is prohibited unless the product has been authorized for sale following a risk assessment conducted under the Novel Foods procedure. This procedure, set forth in Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, governs the lengthy process a company must follow in order to have its food and/or ingredient product approved for distribution in the EU.

On June 10, 2020 a bill was introduced in the Mexican Congress with the intention to sanction and ban sale of illegal drugs paraphernalia (equipment, products and material to produce, consume, conceal or prepare illegal drugs). Such bill is not yet being reviewed nor scheduled to voted by the corresponding comittees but it is widely seen as a negative signal that contradicts those indicating the country’s movement towards the regulation of cannabis and other drugs.

Harborside has new tax lawyers.  Harborside’s new tax lawyers have appealed the DECISION of the United States Tax Court entered October 19, 2019, that determined Harborside has deficiencies in income tax in the total amount of $11,013,236.75 for the years 2007-2012.

Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for medical purposes, and many others have passed limited measures that allow the medical use of certain low-THC cannabis extracts. In states where patients (and doctors) obey state law, one might expect that insurance companies would treat doctor-approved medical cannabis on a level playing field with other therapies. Unfortunately, because cannabis remains unlawful under federal law and is not an FDA-approved medication, that has not been the case.

Why is California’s cannabis industry in a state of chaos 2+ years after adult-use sales of...

The licensing and permitting of any business is often challenging, time consuming, and frustrating. Those challenges are exponentially increased in the highly-regulated and constantly-evolving cannabis industry, which, while illegal under federal law, is now authorized and regulated for medical use in 33 states, with 11 of those states also allowing adult use.

On Thursday June 18, 2020, the New Jersey Assembly voted to decriminalize marijuana. The bill would make up to two ounces of marijuana punishable by a $50 fine and eliminate the possibility of jail time.

Recreational marijuana and CBD products have swept the nation, with legal and regulatory acceptance growing on a daily basis. While some companies believe that the true value lies in cultivation of recreational marijuana or low-intensity CBD products, others have focused on developing patentable drugs from cannabis compounds.

Pet care is on pace to be the next big opportunity in the CBD consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) market. In 2018, pet product sales totaled $9.4 million for adult-use cannabis retailers in California, Colorado, Nevada and Washington.

Early this year, plaintiffs’ lawyers filed seven nationwide class actions in California federal court against some of the largest cannabidiol (CBD) providers in the United States. In these class actions, plaintiffs alleged that the very sale of CBD products is illegal. Plaintiffs bolstered their theory by picking and choosing among nonbinding Food and Drug Administration (FDA) communications, taking advantage of the unsettled state of the law.

As the BlackLivesMatter global network continues to raise awareness and bring justice to Black people around the world, many companies and industries have reflected on how they can increase diversity and promote economic empowerment for communities of color.