To register for the event, visit the BASF website.
Duane Morris partners Neville Bilimoria and Seth Goldberg were quoted in an article in Chicago Lawyer magazine discussing legal issues related to the recent spate of vaping-related illnesses and deaths. Read our partners’ thought leadership on the Duane Morris website or the full article on the Chicago Lawyer website (subscription required).
Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, released his proposal for the State’s budget today, outlining a number of items of importance for the California cannabis industry.
The most noteworthy proposal is regulatory consolidation. In an effort to improve and simplify regulatory oversight of commercial cannabis activity, the Governor’s office is proposing to consolidate the three licensing entities that are currently within the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Department of Public Health, into a single “Department of Cannabis Control” by July 2021.
Such a change would be welcomed by many operators in the State, especially vertically integrated operators who must now contend with multiple state agencies that have different regulatory requirements and interpretations. This may also boost M&A activity in the state, given that it could lead to more consistent regulations regarding ownership changes and a more efficient regulatory approval process. A single regulatory agency would also streamline fee collections and enforcement. More details on this proposal are expected in the Spring of 2020 and we will be watching closely for those updates.
Additionally, the budget looks to “fix” what many consider to be a broken cannabis taxation regime. The Governor states that the goal of the proposal is to reduce the tax collection burden on the cannabis industry and simplify the tax collection process. The proposed changes move the responsibility for the cultivation excise tax from the final distributor to the first, and for the retail excise tax from the distributor to the retailer.
While no changes to the tax rates are specified, the proposed budget does state that the Governor will consider other changes to the existing cannabis tax structure, including the number of taxes and tax rates. The California tax burden is viewed as one of the major inhibitors of the growth and success of the cannabis market in the state.
We will continue to monitor these developments as they unfold, so please check back for further updates and analysis.
To register for the event, visit the Food and Drug Law Institute website.
Duane Morris associate Kelly Bonner shares legal insight on CBD products and services in the January issue of DaySpa magazine.
From the publication:
To read the full text, read the January issue of DaySpa magazine.
Duane Morris is recognized in the inaugural Cannabis 50 Impact Report, presented by MGO | ELLO.
The report honors a wide range of people, organizations and entities making an impact across the cannabis, hemp and CBD culture. Duane Morris is featured in the Knowledge and Health category as a business “pushing the boundaries of our understanding and sharing the complexities of cannabis, hemp, and CBD with the world” and for “providing legal education and guidance to cannabis.”
From the report:
Duane Morris was the first Am Law 100 firm to engage cannabis on a national platform. Their legal teams support clients across the cannabis supply chain, assisting with regulations, financial transactions, and general litigation.
For more information, visit the Cannabis 50 website.
In this first article of his Cannabis Patent Review series, Duane Morris partner Vince Capuano reports on the patenting of technology related to cannabis extraction and cannabinoid purifications.
He writes:
One of the more active areas in the patenting of cannabis technology in 2019 is the related fields of cannabis extraction and cannabinoid purification. Cannabis operators now must educate themselves and navigate an emerging landscape of U.S. cannabis extraction and purification patents for freedom to operate, while also looking for opportunities to patent their own innovations. So far in 2019, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted over 30 patents with claims directed to cannabis extraction technologies and many others related to distillation of cannabinoid components and techniques for obtaining active compounds from marijuana and hemp. Dozens more are pending.
Duane Morris partner Tracy Gallegos is featured in MyVegas magazine as one of the Top 100 Women of Influence. The list recognizes women who have made a “huge positive impact … and continue to change the shape of Las Vegas on a daily basis[.]”
Ms. Gallegos has a multifaceted practice that touches upon corporate, real estate, cannabis, sports and entertainment law for clients ranging from startup companies to established businesses. Her clients include cannabis companies involved in retail, manufacturing and cultivation, as well as companies providing ancillary services to the cannabis industry in both California and Nevada.
Read Ms. Gallegos’ profile in the publication. For more information, visit the MyVegas magazine website.
On November 12, 2019, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), the organization that oversees securities regulations in the 10 Canadian provinces, released Multilateral Staff Notice 51-359 Corporate Governance Related Disclosure Expectations for Reporting Issuers in the Cannabis Industry (the “Guidance”). The Guidance specifically relates to the disclosures required in merger and acquisition transactions. The CSA expressed concern over the perceived inadequate transparency relating to the cross-ownership of financial interests involved in such transactions.
The rapid growth of the cannabis industry and the heightened pace of mergers and acquisitions has resulted in many cannabis companies and their directors and executive officers having a higher than usual crossover of financial interests. Often times these interests are intertwined within various management companies, leasing companies, real estate companies and across numerous license holders, as well as interests in investment advisory services entities and other transaction service providers that are receiving compensatory transaction fees.
The Guidance reiterates that in the disclosure document filed in connection with the transaction, the acquiror and/or the acquiree should disclose all relevant and material the cross-ownership of financial interests held by either by the acquirer, the acquiree, or either of their directors or executive officers.
“Investors need to understand the conflicts of interest that could arise when issuers have crossover of financial interests, because those conflicts could have implications for the possible M&A transaction,” said Louis Morisset, CSA Chair and President and CEO of the Autorité des marchés financiers. We would advise, to avoid potential shareholder litigation, that the disclosure should go beyond the Canadian disclosure requirements and adhere to the more stringent related party transaction disclosure required under U.S. securities laws as many of the cannabis companies have US shareholders or dual listings in the US.
The second issued raised by the Guidance is the determination of director independence as a result of such cross-ownership of financial interests. The CSA stated that they have, “observed instances where cannabis issuers have identified board members as being independent, without giving adequate consideration to potential conflicts of interest or other factors that may compromise their independence.” Again, the cross-over relationships should be reviewed to make a full independent determination.
It is important for reporting issuers to review closely all disclosures made in connection with a merger and acquisition. As a result of the release of the Guidance, the review conducted by the reporting issuer and its counsel is more critical than ever. The board of the reporting issuer should review closely all potential conflicts among its members and should consult with its code of business conduct and ethics to ensure that all procedures have been followed relating to conflicts of interest, as well as considering the jurisdiction rules of its shareholder base.
The importance of proper disclosures has been highlighted by a recent proposed class action lawsuits filed against Canopy Growth and Aurora Cannabis, each lawsuit alleging that the companies made false and misleading statements or withheld material information in their securities filings. While the lawsuit is not related to statements in connection with an M&A transaction, these lawsuits do highlight the importance of reviewing closely all disclosures made in US and Canadian securities filings.
By: Nanette C. Heide and Justin A. Santarosa
Duane Morris Partner Frederick Ball is quoted in the Agri-Pulse article “Regulatory Uncertainty Hangs Over Production of Industrial Hemp.”
Nearly a year after the 2018 farm bill legalized industrial hemp production, the business community continues to seek answers to questions about testing and marketing of products derived from the crop, the commercial potential of which has sparked interest throughout the country. […]
Rick Ball, a lawyer with Duane Morris in Boston, said on the sidelines of the FDLI meeting that he has “no clue” when FDA might take action.
Ball said regulatory confusion is stoked in some cases by different rules in different states. In Massachusetts, for example, farmers were left holding their hemp after the state followed FDA and said CBD cannot be used in foods or dietary supplements or marketed with health claims.
“They lost a huge market for their product,” Ball said. […]
To read the full article, visit the Agri-Pulse website (subscription required).
