Category archives: July 2020

In a move long awaited by the local cannabis industry, Israel’s Minister of Economy and Industry issued an order on May 13, 2020, adding cannabis and cannabis products to the list of goods permitted for export.   The order, signed by outgoing Minister Eli Cohen in the final days before Israel’s new government was sworn in, enables Israeli producers to export a variety of cannabis products after they receive a license from the Health Ministry. 

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.