Duane Morris is hosting the webinar, “Cannabis 401: How to Prevent Your Cannabis Investment from Going Up in Smoke: Tips for Having a Successful Cannabis Workout,” on February 25, 2021, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Please visit the firm website for more information and to register.
Paul Josephson, Duane Morris partner and team lead of the Cannabis Industry Group, has been named to the “CannaInfluencers” list of people shaping the cannabis industry in New Jersey.
NJ Cannabis Insider writes:
Paul Josephson remembers his time at the University of Michigan, a decade after the city of Ann Arbor had decriminalized marijuana.
“It was an issue everybody was aware of,” Josephson said. “You could walk past a cop with a joint hanging out of your mouth. You’d get a $15 summons you would have to pay.”
Not true for the Black students he encountered for the first time at a large university. He said he learned that their experiences with police officers was very different than his.
“If you were Black or poor, it could especially derail your career,” he said.
Combine that with Josephson’s history in politics, beginning with him being elected president of UM’s student government and then choosing to go to law school in the nation’s capital, and you can explain why he got involved in efforts to legalize marijuana in New Jersey.
To read Mr. Josephson’s full profile, please visit nj.com.
A video replay of the webinar, “Telephone Consumer Protection Act: What Cannabis Companies Need to Know,” is available to view.
A video replay of the webinar “Professional Sports & CBD: The Journey Ahead,” featuring NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, is available to view.
Seth Goldberg, Duane Morris partner and team lead of the Cannabis Industry Group, is quoted in the Philadelphia magazine article, “If Pennsylvania Is Going to Legalize Adult-Use Marijuana, This Is How It Should Be Done.”
Use the State’s Existing Supply Chain
“There is a supply chain that is already intact and could likely be expanded very quickly to allow for a recreational marijuana program to be implemented without too much challenge,” said Mr. Goldberg.
“You have growers and processors who can expand their production, labs who could expand their testing, dispensaries who could expand their sales, fairly quickly, to provide adult-use marijuana to Pennsylvanians. This is a very good framework to be utilized in a way that could get this done quickly and efficiently if people wanted to.” […]
Be Mindful of How Marijuana Is Taxed
Currently, marijuana growers and processors in Pennsylvania are taxed five percent on the gross receipts received from the sale of medical marijuana to a dispensary. But there is no sales tax on marijuana, so consumers who purchase it do not pay a tax. According to Mr. Goldberg, that could change with legalization, but it shouldn’t.
“Whether a marijuana sales tax is imposed on consumers or whether the five percent excise tax that’s imposed on growers and processors is increased, these are things that I certainly wouldn’t advocate for because I don’t know that it would be necessary to result in a boost in the tax revenue.” […]
To read the full article, please visit the phillymag.com.
Duane Morris partners Seth Goldberg and David Landau have been named to the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) Task Force, which will focus on the harmonization of laws and regulations that contribute to the bifurcated treatment of hemp and marijuana, as well as the evolving regulatory landscape for cannabis industry participants. Mr. Goldberg, a team lead for the Duane Morris Cannabis Industry Group, joined ATACH president Michael Bronstein and Gary Kaminsky of Acreage Holdings in their meeting with the White House’s Office of Management and Budget in August.
For more information, visit the ATACH website.
Duane Morris partners Paul P. Josephson and Michael D. Schwamm have been named Cannabis Law Trailblazers by National Law Journal. The list honors individuals who are “truly agents of change.”
To read the full press release, please visit the Duane Morris website.
Earlier today, August 25, 2020, Gov. Tom Wolf called on the Pennsylvania legislature to legalize recreational marijuana and use the tax revenue to help small businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, Gov. Wolf’s proposal on recreational marijuana was part of a package unveiled to spend the $1 billion remaining out of $3.6 billion CARES Act funding. The Governor called for a range of spending that would include$225 million in forgivable loans and grants to small businesses and another $100 million for restaurants and bars, hospitality and leisure businesses that have taken a big hit since March with business closures and occupancy restrictions. Tax revenue from the sale of recreational marijuana would add to the state’s small business funding and half would go to historically disadvantaged businesses.
To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.
Seth Goldberg, partner and team lead of Duane Morris’ Cannabis Industry Group, and Justin M. L. Stern, Duane Morris associate, authored the Cannabis Industry Journal article, “Consumer Class Actions Against CBD Companies Are Hitting a Snag.”
Excerpt from the article:
Over the past year, more and more consumer class actions have been filed against manufacturers and distributors of CBD-infused products. These actions typically assert claims based on how the product is marketed, such as whether it (i) contained the advertised amount of CBD, (ii) contained more THC than it should have or (iii) has the ability to provide the therapeutic benefits touted. The marketing of these products is subject to regulation by FDA, which has yet to issue pertinent regulations that have been expected since passage of the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing hemp and CBD products derived therefrom. Thus, in recent months, a number of federal courts have stopped these class actions in their tracks pending further guidance from FDA as to how CBD-infused products should be regulated. This growing body of precedent should be welcome news for the CBD supply chain, as it may provide a disincentive to the plaintiffs’ bar to expend their resources on similar actions until the regulatory framework is clear.
Please visit the Cannabis Industry Journal website to read the full article.
