Congratulations to Duane Morris partners Seth A. Goldberg and Christiane Schuman Campbell, who were recently named Cannabis Law Trailblazers by National Law Journal.
The inaugural list honors individuals “who are involved in all areas of cannabis law from helping regulate the marketing to providing licensing to new companies.” Duane Morris is one of only three Am Law 100 firms represented on the list.
To read the full press release, please visit the Duane Morris website.
A video replay of the webinar “Hot Topics for Healthcare Facilities and the Utilization of Medical Cannabis” is available to view.
Duane Morris partner Michael Schwamm will present on “Investing in the Cannabis Industry” at the Opal Group Family Office & Private Wealth Management Forum West on October 25, 2018, in Napa, California.
Known for the fastest growing population of newly structured family offices in the world, Northern California is largely dominated by first and second-generation families from the Silicon Valley. Investment strategies such as Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Technology will be familiar themes throughout this conference. Investment managers and families will come together to discuss the foundations in which they built their wealth, and uncork the various investment strategies in which to keep their portfolios growing. For more information, visit the Opal Group website.
Duane Morris partner Jerome Levy will participate in the Strafford webinar, “Municipal Regulation of Marijuana: Guidance on Permitting, Licensing and Zoning for Medical and Recreational Uses,” on Wednesday, October 10, 2018, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Eastern time).
This CLE webinar will offer guidance to local government lawyers on regulating cannabis consumption for medical and recreational uses. The panel will discuss the patchwork of current regulatory efforts across the country and explore some of the most effective strategies for regulating in municipalities based on current case law and the interplay with state and federal regulation. For more information and to register, visit the Strafford website.
Even though cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance under U.S. federal law, the United States Patent Office (USPTO), a federal agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, routinely grants patents covering cannabis-related technologies. The Schedule I classification of cannabis is not relevant to patentability. As with any other invention, to be patentable, a cannabis-related invention must be new, useful, and nonobvious, and teach one of ordinary skill in the art how to make and use the invention. The USPTO has determined that many cannabis-related patent applications have met these requirements. Patents granted to cannabis-related inventions cover an enormous range of technologies, including cannabis plants, growing systems, extracts, methods of making extracts, foodstuffs, veterinary products, and methods of treating various diseases and disorders.
To read the full text of this article by Duane Morris attorney Gretchen L. Temeles, Ph.D., please visit the Cannabis Law Journal website.
Banking continues to be a challenge for the cannabis industry. But, Wells Fargo recently erected a new barrier: It closed the campaign bank account of Nikki Fried, candidate for Agriculture Commissioner of Florida. According to a report in the New York Times on August 21, 2018, the bank took notice of the candidate’s advocacy for better access to medical marijuana. It then asked the campaign whether it accepted contributions from lobbyists for the medical marijuana industry. When the campaign replied it accepted contributions from executives and employees in the industry, Wells Fargo closed the account. The campaign now banks at BB&T. Full New York Times Story
On August 15, 2018, Constellation Brands, which owns popular beer, wine and spirits products, such as Corona, Robert Mondavi and High West, announced it is investing $4 billion in Canopy Growth, which is one of the leading investors in the global legal cannabis market. The announcement boosted Cannabis market stocks in the US and Canada, and is likely to catch the eye of big alcohol, big tobacco, big pharma and larger consumer products companies that have been interested in entering the growing legal marijuana markets. More and more companies once-hesitant about doing so are finding that good counsel can help them navigate the regulatory hurdles that might otherwise stand in the way of profiting from this exciting market.
A video replay of the webinar “Cannabis 107: The U.S. and Canadian Cannabis Markets: 2018 Mid-Year Review” is available to view.
Just weeks after Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Cory Gardner (R-Colo) introduced bi-partisan legislation to make marijuana lawful under a state’s marijuana laws also lawful under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced legislation removing marijuana from the CSA altogether on Wednesday, June 27. Schumer’s bill also comes just one day after Oklahoman’s passed legislation legalizing medical marijuana in their traditionally red state, and one day before the U.S. Senate passed legislation legalizing hemp for all purposes, including extracts from hemp, such as cannabidiol.
By removing from the purview of the CSA, state-legal cannabis and proceeds derived therefrom, the Warren/Gardner legislation, if passed, would likely have the effect of nationwide legalization, but state operators and consumers would still need to be concerned about marijuana’s Schedule 1 status under the CSA, whereas the Schumer bill, if passed, would eliminate those concerns by removing marijuana from the CSA.
By David Landau
On Friday June 22nd, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed into law a bill allowing Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana clinical research program to proceed. A Pennsylvania court a short while ago enjoined the program. Continue reading “Pennsylvania Legislature Rescues Medical Marijuana Clinical Research Program”
