General – Page 16 – Cannabis Industry

May 26, 2021June 9, 2021 by Duane Morris

Duane Morris Cannabis Industry Group and Attorneys Recognized

Duane Morris’ Cannabis Industry Group is honored to once again be recognized with the elite law firms and attorneys in the cannabis industry.

Cannabis Industry Group and Attorneys Nationally Recognized by Chambers USA

Duane Morris’ Cannabis Industry Group and team leads Seth Goldberg and Tracy Gallegos received national rankings in the Cannabis Law –
Nationwide area.

Chambers Review
What the team is known for: Utilizes cannabis expertise on a nationwide basis and across a broad spectrum of practice areas, with practitioners specializing in IP, corporate transactions and regulatory advice within the sector. Offers expanded capabilities in the wake of the 2018 Farm Bill for clients trading in hemp and hemp-derived CBD products. Also boasts litigators able to handle contentious issues for producers and distributors across the industry.

Strengths: Clients describe Duane Morris as “a very well-regarded and respected firm in this space.” One client acknowledges its “deep bench with a lot of talent and experience in the cannabis industry.” Another adds: “The team as a whole is exceptionally knowledgeable. Its strengths include responsiveness and the ability to collaborate.”

Work highlights: Represented Glass House Group in its acquisition of Los Angeles-based cannabis concentrates manufacturer F/ELD Taste Matters.

Notable practitioners: Seth Goldberg boasts high-level experience advising cannabis businesses throughout their life cycle. “He’s a top-notch lawyer who really knows his stuff.” “He’s consistently responsive and knowledgeable.”

Tracy Gallegos has extensive experience in the cannabis sector. Her practice covers regulatory issues, including licensing, in addition to corporate structuring and transactions.

Seth Goldberg Named a Law Firm Innovator by The Legal Intelligencer

Seth Goldberg, partner and team lead of the Cannabis Industry Group, has been named a Law Firm Innovator in The Legal Intelligencer’s 2021 Professional Excellence Awards. The award honors lawyers “who push the envelope to build their businesses [and] think outside the box and have demonstrated an ability to distinguish their brands in a crowded market.”

May 21, 2021 by Duane Morris

Webinar Replay: Cannabis Investment: How Greece Is Embracing the Opportunity and Leading the EU Market

A video replay of the webinar “Cannabis Investment: How Greece Is Embracing the Opportunity and Leading the EU Market” is available to view.

May 19, 2021 by Duane Morris

Webinar: Big Money Meets Big Government: Greenlighting Mergers as State and Federal Regulators Step Up Scrutiny

Duane Morris is hosting the webinar, “Big Money Meets Big Government: Greenlighting Mergers as State and Federal Regulators Step Up Scrutiny,” on June 15, 2021, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

Join Duane Morris’ Brian Pandya, former Deputy Associate Attorney General, who will discuss the M&A landscape and other regulatory enforcement challenges and opportunities; American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) co-founder Michael Bronstein; and Paul Josephson, former chief counsel to the New Jersey governor and director of the NJ Division of Law and advisor to trade associations and several leading MSOs, for a discussion on how acting and new government personnel affect the policies, landscape and issues related to the big deals that are currently in process.

For more information and to register, visit the event website.

May 19, 2021 by Seth A. Goldberg

Cannabis Products Liability/Consumer Fraud Litigation and CBD Regulation

Yesterday, a California court federal court judge did not follow other federal courts in staying a consumer class action brought on behalf of CBD product consumers on the basis of the FDA’s primary jurisdiction over the regulation of CBD products. The Court in Rodriguez v. Just Brands USA Inc. et al., 2:20-cv-04829, C.D. Cal., determined that claims that CBD product maker Just Brands’ labeling did not accurately state the amount of CBD in its products could give rise to state law claims for breach of warranty and fraud that should not be stayed because, according to the Court, the FDA’s forthcoming regulations would not alter the expectation that CBD product manufacturers would accurately convey the amount of CBD in their products.

The decision in Rodriguez should be on the radar of the entire cannabis industry, as it demonstrates how products liability and consumer class action lawsuits may be brought under state statutory and common law to seek damages for improperly labeled cannabis products. Cannabis – hemp and marijuana – product manufacturers should be sure to build into their internal compliance safeguards against such claims.

Relatedly, on the radar for hemp-derived CBD is legislation proposing to categorize CBD as a dietary supplement under the FDA’s regulatory regime for drugs, dietary supplements and foods and beverages under the Food, Drugs and Cosmetic Acts. That bill will be introduced today by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Jeff Merkley.

April 26, 2021 by Duane Morris

Webinar: Job Growth in Cannabis

As a Strategic Alliance Partner of The Arcview Group, Duane Morris is working alongside the organization to educate and prepare cannabis clients on all new and upcoming legislation that will inevitably affect their business.

At the April 29 Arcview Access webinar, Job Growth in Cannabis, speakers will review the job trends affecting the cannabis industry job market.

About the Program

Last year, we saw the U.S. suffer the worst economic growth since World War II. The pandemic caused the economy to shrink by 3.5%, and almost doubled the unemployment rate when 10 million Americans lost their jobs.

And yet… the cannabis industry saw explosive job growth in 2020. Join us to uncover the macro-level trends of the 2021 Leafly Jobs Report. Our featured speakers include:

- Beau Whitney, Founder of Whitney Economics, and co-author of the 2021 Leafly Jobs Report
- Bruce Barcott, Senior Editor at Leafly and co-author of the 2021 Leafly Jobs Report
- Aaron Ray, Managing Partner of Proclinical

For more information and to register, please visit the Arcview website.

April 23, 2021 by Duane Morris

Thinking Outside the Bud Podcast: An Interview with Michael Schwamm

Duane Morris partner Michael Schwamm is featured in the April 23 episode of the Thinking Outside the Bud Podcast.

Visit the podcast page for more information.

April 21, 2021April 21, 2021 by Duane Morris

Webinar: Cannabis Investment: How Greece Is Embracing the Opportunity and Leading the EU Market

Duane Morris’ Cannabis Group is proud to partner with the Consulate General of Greece’s New York Trade Office and Enterprise Greece to present “Cannabis Investment: How Greece Is Embracing the Opportunity and Leading the EU Market” on May 20, 2021, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

Please visit the event website for more information and to register.

April 7, 2021 by Duane Morris

Replay: The Legal Landscape of the Cannabis Industry

On April 7, Michael Schwamm and Tracy Gallegos joined The Arcview Group for an Instagram Live to discuss the legal landscape of the cannabis industry.

View a replay of the Instagram Live.

As an alliance partner of Arcview, Duane Morris attorneys are participating in an exciting lineup of #ArcviewApril events—sharing insights about the cannabis industry during National Cannabis Awareness Month. More information: http://arcviewapril.com/

March 31, 2021 by Duane Morris

Webinar Replay: Sustainable and Realistic Energy Solutions for Cannabis Operators

A video replay of the webinar, “Cannabis 402: Sustainable and Realistic Energy Solutions for Cannabis Operators,” is available to view.

March 19, 2021 by Seth A. Goldberg

SAFE Banking Act Reintroduced in the House with Broad Support

With the explicit support of the American Banking Association, and after passing in the House during the last congress, the SAFE Banking Act was reintroduced in the House on March 18, and a companion Act is expected to be introduced in the Senate next week. The proposed legislation would allow financial institutions to provide their services to cannabis – marijuana and hemp – clients without fear of federal sanctions. The proposed legislation enjoys bi-partisan support, and is in “position A” for passing in 2021.

Given the billions of dollars of revenues, including tax dollars, generated by the industry, which are generated by cannabis companies and companies that provide services to the industry, cannabis banking is truly a public concern. The very laws that seek to create transparency as to the public fisc, such as the Bank Secrecy Act, have forced cannabis to be a cash business, which means not all of the cannabis dollars may be accounted for as in other industries, thereby undermining the objectives of those laws. The SAFE Banking Act would resolve those concerns by allowing core and ancillary companies to utilize all of the electronic banking, checking, payroll, and accounting functionality that businesses in all other industries enjoy. There is no question the passage of this legislation would provide a game-changing boost to the cannabis space.