Perspectives on Cannabis

For better or worse, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is already transforming the way we live and work. Within two months of its initial release to the public, ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly active users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history.

For better or worse, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is already transforming the way we live and work. Within two months of its initial release to the public, ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly active users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history.

Signed into law on July 13, 2022, the District of Columbia Cannabis Employment Protections Act, provides major new workplace protections for marijuana users.

Partner Malcolm McNeil spoke with Marijuana Business Daily about how the cannabis industry has turned to real estate sale-leaseback transactions to address the lack of outside financing.

The ArentFox Schiff Cannabis Industry team reviews 10 of the most pressing legal issues facing the industry in 2023.

In January, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued a published opinion in Serna v. Denver Police Department, No. 21-1446 (10th Cir. Jan. 24, 2023), upholding the dismissal of a hemp farmer’s lawsuit against local government officials in Colorado who confiscated his plants.

Over the last decade, 37 states and four territories in the United States have legalized some form of cannabis sales for recreational or medical use by consumers.

Medical marijuana has been legal in DC since 2011. In recent years, the District has adopted piecemeal amendments to its medical cannabis program, largely through temporary emergency legislation and mayoral rulemaking. In recent years, DC has also attempted to legalize adult-use marijuana.

Four ArentFox Schiff attorneys have been named “Go-To Thought Leaders” in 2022 by National Law Review, which honors excellence in legal news and analysis.

The Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act is still on the table, and US Department of Justice (DOJ) is weighing in.

The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act (MMCREA) became law last Friday. The bipartisan legislation will roll back federal restrictions on medical marijuana research and the cultivation of research-grade marijuana.

California has enacted legislation broadly protecting employees from discrimination for the use of marijuana, which has been legal in the state since 2016. Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1288 into law. It generally prohibits employers from discriminating “against a person in hiring.

In Nevada, employees terminated for off-duty use of marijuana do not have a right of action under NRS 613.333, which creates a private right of action for an employee who is discharged for engaging in the “lawful use” of products while off the clock and off the employer’s premises.

Recently, Major League Baseball (MLB) informed teams that cannabidiol (CBD) sponsorships were no longer off limits and that they were free to pursue sponsorships in the CBD category under certain conditions. CBD companies will also no longer be prohibited from airing commercials during MLB games.

The Metaverse stands to disrupt nearly every industry – fashion, media and entertainment, real estate, sports, the list goes on – presenting immense possibilities and potential risks. We have created the ArentFox Schiff Industry Guide to the Metaverse to answer questions and anticipate concerns.

- The efforts to legalize cannabis have gained traction in some states and run into serious roadblocks in others.
- Nineteen states allow adults to possess and use cannabis for non-medical uses (adult use).  
- Thirty-seven states allow for medical cannabis use through state run programs.

Partner Aram Ordubegian, chair of the firm’s Cannabis Industry Group, was quoted on the real estate challenges facing the cannabis industry.

Though the House of Representatives passed the Secure and Fair Enforcing Banking Act (“SAFE Banking Act” or “the Act”) on April 19, 2021, the bill was dropped from the final version of the larger China COMPETES ACT last week after it failed to muster the requisite support in the Senate.

Medical marijuana has been legal, in the District of Columbia, since 2010. And since 2015, the City has permitted adults to use marijuana recreationally. Earlier this month, the City Council went further by unanimously passing a bill to protect many marijuana users against adverse job actions.

Following in the footsteps of Californians, Coloradoans, Arizonans, and Bay Staters, denizens of the Metaverse can now step inside a dispensary and purchase cannabis products. Two brands have staked claims to their own Metaverse storefronts, where they will sell products to real-life addresses.

Download Our Summary of the Most Important Cases.

Long-anticipated federal cannabis reform may be on the horizon. In the last month, bipartisan governors and groups from both bodies of Congress have established support for cannabis policies that would reshape federal enforcement and set the stage for further state legalization.

California law requires commercial cannabis licensees with 20 or more non-supervisory employees to enter into a labor peace agreement; however, the legal requirements of such an agreement are far less than labor unions would suggest.

Schiff Hardin LLP served as underwriter’s counsel for Canna-Global Acquisition Corp.’s initial public offering of $200 million, which closed on Dec. 2, 2021.

On September 27, 2021, a substantive amendment was approved by the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) in an emergency rulemaking action.