Seth A. Goldberg – Page 8 – Cannabis Industry

March 19, 2015June 14, 2017 by Seth A. Goldberg

Bankers, Lawyers, and the Conflict Between State and Federal Marijuana Laws

An article in The Philadelphia Inquirer reported about the reluctance of major banks to participate in the marijuana industries in those states that have legalized marijuana for recreational and/or medicinal purposes because marijuana is still a Schedule 1 controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substance Act. I have previously written that lawyers in those states share similar concerns because the rules of ethics prohibit lawyers from assisting clients in illegal activities.

The conflict between state legalization and federal criminalization of marijuana thus appears to be depriving the businesses and individuals, such as investors, growers, manufacturers, dispensaries, physicians, patients, and consumers, currently or potentially participating in the emerging marijuana industry from the two resources – lawyers and bankers – that are arguably the most important to the establishment and sustained growth of an emerging, regulated industry. This is especially concerning given the importance to all citizens of the careful implementation of marijuana legislation. Continue reading “Bankers, Lawyers, and the Conflict Between State and Federal Marijuana Laws”

January 28, 2015June 14, 2017 by Seth A. Goldberg

Pennsylvania Could Enact Medical Marijuana Legislation In 2015

On January 26, 2015, in a bipartisan effort, Pennsylvania senators Mike Folmer (R) and Daylin Leach (D) reintroduced to the General Assembly of Pennsylvania a bill (Senate Bill No. 3) providing for the medical use of cannabis in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Senate Bill No. 3 comprises a comprehensive set of regulations that include (1) licensing and administrative procedures for growers, processors, dispensers, patients and health care professionals; (2) enforcement and penalties; and (3) fees and surcharges.

Recent comments by Pennsylvania’s newly inaugurated Governor, Tom Wolf, and last year’s passage by the PA Senate of a similar bill (Senate Bill No. 1182) by a 43-7 vote, suggest that Pennsylvania may be one of the states (the recent trend suggests there will be others) that enacts Medical Marijuana legislation in 2015. As Governor Wolf stated on the same day that Senate Bill No. 3 was introduced, “I commend the bipartisan effort to allow Pennsylvania doctors to prescribe medical marijuana… We should not deny a physician’s ability to recommend medical marijuana treatment for Pennsylvanians suffering from seizures, those affected by PTSD, cancer patients affected by chemotherapy, and Pennsylvanians suffering from many other ailments and conditions that could benefit from this effective, doctor-prescribed treatment.”

Continue reading “Pennsylvania Could Enact Medical Marijuana Legislation In 2015”

December 16, 2014June 14, 2017 by Seth A. Goldberg

Congress Passes Legislation Providing Protection to States that Have Legalized Medical Marijuana

On August 19, 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice issued its current Guidance Regarding Marijuana Enforcement, which effectively deferred enforcement under the Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. § 811 et. seq. (the “CSA”) with respect to medical marijuana to those states “that have enacted laws legalizing marijuana in some form and that have also implemented strong and effective regulatory and enforcement systems to control the cultivation, distribution, sale, and possession of marijuana.”

On December 13, 2014, Congress passed government spending bill, H.R. 83 (the “Act”), which included provisions that appear to further insulate the participants in the medical marijuana industry in states that have legalized medical marijuana from enforcement under the CSA. In particular, the Act provides that the funds made available to the Department of Justice pursuant to the Act may not be used to prevent those states that have enacted medical cannabis legislation “from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.” Continue reading “Congress Passes Legislation Providing Protection to States that Have Legalized Medical Marijuana”