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2019 was, to put it lightly, an intense year for the hemp and hemp-derived cannabidiol (“Hemp CBD”) industries in the United States. We saw the implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill,  strongly worded statements by the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) that Hemp CBD was unlawful in many products followed (amazingly) by almost zero enforcement, […]

Here’s to a great 2020 for all of our readers, friends and clients! Let’s all keep working hard to ensure that 2020 is a banner year for cannabis law and policy, in the U.S. and abroad. Best wishes to everyone out there in 2020 and beyond! Read More

Happy New Year! Before we cue up our favorite version of Auld Lang Syne, pop the CBD-infused champagne, and begin to celebrate the roaring 20s, we’d like to take a look back. 2019 was another big year for cannabis, and another busy year for the Canna Law Blog. We dove deep into our archives on Facebook,

Here we are at the end of 2019, which means it’s time for the fourth annual “State of the State” post on Oregon cannabis (see the 2018 post here; 2017 here; and 2016 here). This past year has been a reckoning of sorts for Oregon cannabis: things slowed down on the marijuana side but accelerated on the hemp side

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”) legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and by providing a detailed framework for the cultivation of hemp. The 2018 Farm Bill gives the US Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) regulatory authority over hemp

When it comes to hemp-derived CBD (“Hemp CBD”), the best advice we can give is not to trust most of what’s out there on the Internet. No, I am not talking about the claims of medical benefits for Hemp CBD (which could be the subject of its own entire post), but rather about whether or

Although I am a litigator who loves to be in court, I often counsel clients on how to avoid litigation – even though it may mean less work for me in the future!  Front and center in these discussions are: 1) the importance of due diligence prior to entering a new business relationship and 2)

On December 12, 2019, the EU General Court upheld an EU Intellectual Property Office ruling that blocked registration of a mark that “an average person would assume references marijuana use” because it was “contrary to public policy.” The mark in question was CANNABIS STORE AMSTERDAM with green cannabis leaves in the background, and the court

Wishing all of our readers, along with friends and families, the very best this holiday season. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, Festivus, or something else, we hope you can kick back and enjoy this wonderful time of the year. Happy holidays! Read More

Our firm represents a number of financial institutions and even a federal agency on banking state-legal cannabis. We have practiced in the space ever since the 2014 FinCEN guidelines were issued and it’s been slow going for the most part. The number one question we have received lately is: “do you know a bank or credit union