For years, movies, music and other aspects of popular culture have hailed Amsterdam as the number one destination for openly consuming cannabis purchased from “coffee shops.” […] However, one difference — at least in California where adult use cannabis was legalized in 2016 with the passage of Proposition 64 — is that consumption lounges have been unable to offer prepared noncannabis food and beverages on-site. This changed on Sept. 30, when California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California A.B. 1775 into law.
Webinar Replay: Legal Challenges and Considerations for Social Consumption Lounges
A replay of Mainstreaming Cannabis: Legal Challenges and Considerations for Social Consumption Lounges is now available for viewing.
Duane Morris Attorneys Recognized by Cannabis Law Report
Seth Goldberg, Tracy Gallegos and Paul Josephson, Duane Morris partners and team leads of the Cannabis Industry Group, are once again recognized in Cannabis Law Report‘s list of Global Top Lawyers.
The list honors cannabis practitioners via the publication’s annual survey of clients and lawyers in the cannabis legal services sector as well as its personal editorial decisions based on its reporting of the industry for nearly 10 years.
Webinar: Legal Challenges and Considerations for Social Consumption Lounges
The Duane Morris Cannabis Industry Group will present a webinar, Mainstreaming Cannabis: Legal Challenges and Considerations for Social Consumption Lounges, on Thursday, September 26, 2024, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern time.
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Filling Credit Risk Gaps for Cannabis Businesses
Tracy Gallegos, partner and team lead of the Duane Morris Cannabis Industry Group, is quoted in American Banker about CTrust’s recently launched Cannabis Trust Score and its impact on the industry. […]
“Until there’s a rescheduling, obtaining traditional banking loans is going to be a significant hardship for plant touching operators,” said Gallegos, referring to cannabis’ classification as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, which exposes banks to potential money laundering investigations, which prevents most banks from lending to cannabis businesses. […]
“Having a company like CTrust provide a credit score is an indicator of credit worthiness, but it won’t do anything to solve any of the issues that the banks are facing in terms of the banks being penalized for engaging in business with what the federal laws still consider an illegal activity.”
Duane Morris’ Cannabis Industry Group Receives Top Honors from Chambers USA and The Legal 500
Duane Morris was nationally recognized by Chambers & Partners USA 2024 for Cannabis, and partners Tracy Gallegos, Seth Goldberg, Paul Josephson and Michael Schwamm were individually honored.
“Duane Morris helps clients across all sectors of the multi-faceted legal cannabis industry. The group has extensive experience with the wide array of issues attendant to legal cannabis business activities, including licensing for cultivation, processing and dispensing; litigation; banking and finance; raising and deploying capital; protecting intellectual property; real estate development and leasing; public company representation and SEC filings; land use and zoning; healthcare and research; taxation; and cross-border transactions.”
The Legal 500 2024 has also placed the Cannabis Industry Group in Tier 1 nationally, with clients noting that “Duane Morris’ cannabis practice is simply the best in the country. They have the most thorough knowledge of our ever-changing industry and its regulatory landscape.”
“What makes Duane Morris unique among peer firms is the entrepreneurial spirit of the cannabis practice, backed up by extensive institutional knowledge and experience of business. They created laws, regulations and precedents that govern and protect the cannabis industry today and advised businesses how to operate within them.”
Clients also acknowledged “the passion and commitment of Duane Morris’ lawyers to serve businesses and entrepreneurs.” The Legal 500 named partners Seth Goldberg and Michael Schwamm “Leading Lawyers” in the Cannabis Industry – as well as recognizing Tracy Gallegos, Paul Josephson and Justin Santarosa for their work.
“The firm has acted as a pathfinder through a constellation of state laws and regulation – many of which the firm’s cannabis practice has helped shape.”
Congress Could Redefine Hemp to Exclude Intoxicating Substances in Upcoming Farm Bill
There are countless strains of the plant Cannabis sativa L. Depending on the strain, the plant will contain a range of different chemicals called cannabinoids. New cannabinoids are still being discovered. Some of those, such as delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (D-9 THC), can cause psychoactive effects, while others such as cannabidiol (CBD) do not cause psychoactive effects. Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids like CBD can be chemically altered to become substances, such as delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (D-8 THC), that cause psychoactive effects.
In 2018, Congress passed a Farm Bill that defined “hemp” as:
[T]he plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.
Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.
Webinar Replay: Mainstreaming Cannabis: Branding and Advertising
DEA Rescheduling, Pa. Legalization Efforts May Breathe New Life Into Cannabis Practices
Duane Morris cannabis industry group team lead Paul Josephson spoke with The Legal Intelligencer on Pennsylvania cannabis legalization as the Drug Enforcement Administration has officially moved to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance.
“There’s not a legal practice area that hasn’t touched or worked for our cannabis practice here,” he said, although he and other attorneys emphasized the potential growth in financing work should rescheduling and local legalization efforts go through.
“Removing this from Schedule I … it provides immediate tax relief to companies in the cannabis business,” Josephson said, explaining that as the law currently stands, cannabis businesses aren’t allowed to deduct business expenses when they calculate and pay taxes, resulting in razor-thin profit margins. “When rescheduling happens, when that monkey comes off the back of the industry, it will improve cashflows for everyone in the business and allow for more investment.” Read more on the Duane Morris website.
Webinar: Mainstreaming Cannabis: Branding and Advertising
The Duane Morris Cannabis Industry Group will present a webinar, Mainstreaming Cannabis: Branding and Advertising, on Thursday, May 30, 2024, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Continue reading “Webinar: Mainstreaming Cannabis: Branding and Advertising”