Insights on Cannabis

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.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries.

Partner David Grosso will present on decriminalizing poverty at the National Cannabis Festival on August 28.

The FDA’s position that the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) prohibits CBD from being sold in interstate commerce as a dietary supplement or food ingredient makes national companies hesitant to sell products containing CBD or do business with the CBD industry.

The majority of states in the US have either decriminalized cannabis or enacted laws authorizing its uThe majority of states in the US have either decriminalized cannabis or enacted laws authorizing its use for medical or non-medical se for medical or non-medical (aka “recreational” or “adult”) use.

Join Arent Fox’s David Grosso, Oliver Spurgeon III, and Shahiedah Shabazz as they discuss the bill proposed by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to legalize marijuana under federal law.

Following its neighboring states, Connecticut legalized recreational cannabis after Governor Ned Lamont signed the Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act (RERACA) on June 22.

Since 2019, the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have warned companies that make or sell cannabidiol (CBD) products that it is illegal to label and advertise that their products prevent, treat, or cure human disease without FDA approval.

On March 31, 2021, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) into law, legalizing adult-use cannabis in the state and establishing a regulatory framework to govern what likely will be one of the nation’s largest cannabis markets.

On March 31, 2021, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) into law, legalizing adult-use cannabis in the state and establishing a regulatory framework to govern what likely will be one of the nation’s largest cannabis markets.

Cannabis businesses that regularly transact in cash need to strongly consider creating an internal policy to ensure that the Form is regularly completed and filed.