Tracy Gallegos – Cannabis Industry

July 18, 2024 by Duane Morris

Filling Credit Risk Gaps for Cannabis Businesses

Tracy Gallegos, partner and team lead of the Duane Morris Cannabis Industry Group, is quoted in American Banker about CTrust’s recently launched Cannabis Trust Score and its impact on the industry. […]

“Until there’s a rescheduling, obtaining traditional banking loans is going to be a significant hardship for plant touching operators,” said Gallegos, referring to cannabis’ classification as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, which exposes banks to potential money laundering investigations, which prevents most banks from lending to cannabis businesses. […]

“Having a company like CTrust provide a credit score is an indicator of credit worthiness, but it won’t do anything to solve any of the issues that the banks are facing in terms of the banks being penalized for engaging in business with what the federal laws still consider an illegal activity.”

Read the full article on the American Banker website.

June 26, 2024 by Duane Morris

Duane Morris’ Cannabis Industry Group Receives Top Honors from Chambers USA and The Legal 500

Duane Morris was nationally recognized by Chambers & Partners USA 2024 for Cannabis, and partners Tracy Gallegos, Seth Goldberg, Paul Josephson and Michael Schwamm were individually honored.

“Duane Morris helps clients across all sectors of the multi-faceted legal cannabis industry. The group has extensive experience with the wide array of issues attendant to legal cannabis business activities, including licensing for cultivation, processing and dispensing; litigation; banking and finance; raising and deploying capital; protecting intellectual property; real estate development and leasing; public company representation and SEC filings; land use and zoning; healthcare and research; taxation; and cross-border transactions.”

The Legal 500 2024 has also placed the Cannabis Industry Group in Tier 1 nationally, with clients noting that “Duane Morris’ cannabis practice is simply the best in the country. They have the most thorough knowledge of our ever-changing industry and its regulatory landscape.”

“What makes Duane Morris unique among peer firms is the entrepreneurial spirit of the cannabis practice, backed up by extensive institutional knowledge and experience of business. They created laws, regulations and precedents that govern and protect the cannabis industry today and advised businesses how to operate within them.”

Clients also acknowledged “the passion and commitment of Duane Morris’ lawyers to serve businesses and entrepreneurs.” The Legal 500 named partners Seth Goldberg and Michael Schwamm “Leading Lawyers” in the Cannabis Industry – as well as recognizing Tracy Gallegos, Paul Josephson and Justin Santarosa for their work.

“The firm has acted as a pathfinder through a constellation of state laws and regulation – many of which the firm’s cannabis practice has helped shape.”

October 9, 2023 by Duane Morris

Webinar Replay: Distressed Cannabis M&A

A replay of the webinar Distressed Cannabis M&A is available.

September 7, 2023 by Duane Morris

Webinar: Distressed Cannabis M&A

Duane Morris, in partnership with FTI Consulting, will hold its next Cannabis Webinar, Distressed Cannabis M&A, on Thursday, October 5, 2023, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

Learn more and register on the Duane Morris website.

August 30, 2023 by Brad A. Molotsky

Changes to the Controlled Substances Act for Cannabis to make it a Schedule III Drug – The Winds May Be Blowing this Way

Earlier today, on August 30, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officially recommended that cannabis be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) – a landmark recommendation from HHS which indicates that HHS no longer considers cannabis to be a drug with high abuse potential and no medical value.

After completing a scientific review into cannabis per a requested review from the Biden Administration, HHS advised the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that it believes marijuana should be placed in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.

Note, HHS’s recommendation is NOT binding on the DEA but given the report’s findings and growing public sentiment is likely that the DEA agrees with the recommendation and shifts its policy.

Historically, cannabis has been federally prohibited as a Schedule I controlled substance. As noted by many pundits, the rescheduling to Schedule III would have major implications for researchers who have long criticized the Schedule I classification that creates significant barriers to access for studies.

For researchers, this change would likely mean that they would no longer need to go through the onerous registration process with the DEA in order to access cannabis for studies as a Schedule III drug. The shift to Schedule III would also enable various federal tax deductions to become applicable to the cannabis industry and unlock value for them that is currently stuck in an onerous tax structure under the Internal Revenue Code. Schedule III drugs are not subject to the same onerous structure under federal rules.

The cannabis ball is now firmly in the DEA’s court as the DEA has the final authority to schedule a drug as Schedule III rather than Schedule I under the CSA (or transfer a controlled substance between schedules or remove such a drug from scheduling altogether).

Parting Hits – With Congress due to reconvene after Labor Day, and the Biden Administration looking for a win on moving this issue along, look for pressure to continue to mount for some type of Congressional action in the Banking arena under a SAFE legislation bill and for the DEA to move through their rule making process in a swift and firm manner.

Duane Morris has a full service cannabis group that helps clients and investors in a wide array of cannabis-related issues including, but not limited to, licensing, fundraising, intellectual property protection and real estate. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Brad Molotsky or the attorney with whom you regularly communicate at Duane Morris.

January 16, 2023January 16, 2023 by Brad A. Molotsky

Adult Use Cannabis – the United States Virgin Islands passes adult use cannabis legislation!

In case you might have missed it with your year end festivities, the U.S. Virgin Islands became the latest U.S. region to legalize adult-use cannabis. Once regulations are finalized, the rules will allow residents and visitors to purchase medical and/or recreational cannabis products from licensed dispensaries. The bill was signed by Governor Bryant and is now effective.

The legislation also includes provisions proposed by Senators Sarauw and Bolques and automatically expunges cannabis possession charges in the territory.

Medical cannabis was previously approved in 2019 but the legislature continues to work on the applicable rules and regulations for the program.

It is estimated by Commissioner Richard Evangelista that it will likely be another 18-24 months before the government can finalize the applicable regulations for medical and adult use.

Sarauw said that even now, with adult-use reforms now heading to the governor’s desk, “we have done absolutely nothing to move cannabis forward.”

At the moment, current rules decriminalize the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Key Take Away – the USVI has now officially approved adult use cannabis which will likely spark (sorry, could not resist) multiple businesses and business lines to look to establish operations in the Territory. Grow, manufacture, dispensing and businesses supporting these operations are sure to continue their thought processes as to how to engage and become licensed pending final rules to be issued by the Department of Licenses and Consumer Affairs.

Duane Morris has an active Cannabis Team to help organizations and individuals plan, respond to, and execute on your cannabis and hemp initiatives. We would be happy to discuss your proposed project and how these new rules might apply to you. For more information or if you have any questions about this post, please contact Brad A. Molotsky, or Tracy Gallegos, Seth Goldberg, or Paul Josephson who co-head the Cannabis Group or the attorney in the firm with whom you in regular contact .

December 19, 2022December 20, 2022 by Brad A. Molotsky

NJ Cannabis – 3Q 2022 Adult Use Sales Numbers Continue to Blaze

According to recent reporting from the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (“NJCRC”), sales of legalized, recreational adult use cannabis in NJ exceeded $116.5 Million from July to September of 2022. This Q3 revenue figure represents a 46% increase from sales receipts in Q2 of 2022 of $80 Million generated from April to June 2022, when 13 state dispensaries expanded to adult cannabis sales for the first time.

By way of background, New Jersey legalized the sale of recreational marijuana for those 21 and over in April 2021. Sales were initially confined to 12 licensed dispensaries, which had approximately $24 Million in sales through May 2021, or an average of $5 Million per week in a state with 9.3 Million residents. By comparison, adult recreational cannabis generated approximately $80 Million in total sales between April and June 30 per the Cannabis Authority or $6.7M per week. Continue reading “NJ Cannabis – 3Q 2022 Adult Use Sales Numbers Continue to Blaze”

September 2, 2022January 26, 2024 by Duane Morris

Duane Morris Attorneys Named to Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers List

Duane Morris partners Paul P. Josephson, Michael D. Schwamm, Tracy Gallegos and Seth A. Goldberg have been named to Cannabis Law Report‘s Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers for 2022/23.

Cannabis Law Report compiled the list from the publication’s annual survey of clients and lawyers in the cannabis legal services sector “as well as our personal editorial decisions based on our reporting of the industry on a daily basis for the past six years.”

For more information, please visit the Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers website.

June 3, 2022 by Duane Morris

California Targets Cannabis Businesses over Unpaid Taxes

Duane Morris partner Tracy Gallegos was quoted in this article in MJBizDaily.

California’s business tax collector is ramping up enforcement against unlicensed and licensed cannabis companies, which owe the state nearly $200 million in unpaid taxes. […]

Tracy Gallegos, a corporate partner in the Las Vegas office of the Duane Morris law firm, said many of her clients entered the regulated industry with high aspirations, but naiveté and poor, early business decisions compounded problems. Continue reading “California Targets Cannabis Businesses over Unpaid Taxes”

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.”