Insights / eventsInsights
Insights / events

Presentation

A Blunt Discussion of the Emerging Legal Issues Facing the Cannabis Industry Today

Read Time: 1 min

Member Heidi Urness (Seattle), Of Counsel David Waxman (Cleveland), and Of Counsel Chase Stoecker (Fort Lauderdale) will present “A Blunt Discussion of the Emerging Legal Issues Facing the Cannabis Industry Today” at the Michigan CannaTech Expo on May 3, 2023.

Learn how to weed out risk to your business as they hash out current hot-button issues facing the cannabis industry, such as the regulation of delta-8, transportation of cannabis revenue and equipment, lending, leasing, and financing equipment for use in the manufacturing and sale of cannabis, bankruptcy, labor, and employment laws, and the Cole Memo priorities.

Learn more.

Insights

Presentation

Regulations & Licensing

December 3, 2023

Member Heidi Urness (Seattle) will moderate a "Regulations & Licensing" panel, and Of Counsel, David Waxman (Cleveland) and Associate Daniel Shortt (Seattle) will join as panelists at the second National Interdisciplinary Cannabis Symposium in Portland, Oregon, on December 3, 2023.

Presentation

Marketing Mistakes That Can Be Canna-strophic

June 22, 2023

On Thursday, June 22, 2023, Heidi Urness (Seattle) will present "Marketing Mistakes That Can Be Canna-strophic" during the 2023 Cannabis Marketing Summit in Denver, Colorado.

Alert

Use of Cannabis by Workers in Safety-Sensitive Positions

May 16, 2023

The use of medical marijuana, which has been permitted for decades in some states, is not protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act.  As a result, even in states which legally permit its use, employers are free to terminate employees who use medical marijuana without fear of violating federal discrimination laws.  

Podcasts

Podcast: Cannabis and Bankruptcy, Ep. 2: Considerations for Businesses

May 11, 2023

This is the second installment in a three-part series exploring issues in cannabis and bankruptcy. In this episode, we'll dive into bankruptcy protections available to businesses, including a case in which the Bankruptcy Court rejected a categorical prohibition for all debtors with any connection to marijuana.

Podcasts

Podcast: Cannabis and Bankruptcy, Ep. 1: Considerations for Individuals

April 11, 2023

It's no secret that pockets of the cannabis industry are experiencing financial distress, and this is generating fear and concern for marijuana licensees and their lenders as well. This is the first installment in a three-part series exploring issues in Cannabis and Bankruptcy.

Published Article

Budding Workplace Marijuana Impairment Laws Put Employers in a Bind

April 4, 2023

With an increasing number of states passing laws to protect employees who utilize marijuana off-duty, employers throughout the country are presently tasked with redesigning their marijuana-related policies and practices to avoid the risk of suffering discrimination, retaliation, and other claims for wrongfully taking adverse action against an employee for their marijuana legal use.

Alert

Marijuana & Banking: What’s the Hold Up? Pt. 1 – Conflicting Legal Landscapes

March 27, 2023

Today, nearly four-fifths of the United States have regulated medical marijuana markets. Nearly half of the United States, consisting of twenty-one states along with Washington, D.C. and Guam, have acted to legalize recreational adult-use marijuana. However, the possession, distribution, and sale of marijuana remains illegal under federal law, which means any contact with money that can be traced back to state-legal marijuana operations could still be considered money laundering and expose a bank to significant legal, operational, and regulatory risk.

Alert

Employers Subject to Workplace Safety Laws Despite Marijuana’s Illegal Status

March 17, 2023

Recently an individual employed by Trulieve Inc., who was responsible for grinding and handling cannabis at Trulieve’s cultivation site in Massachusetts, died due to asthma-related complications following exposure to “occupational quantities of whole and ground cannabis,” according to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hazard letter issued in June 2022.  Under a settlement agreement with OSHA, Trulieve agreed to study the potential hazards of ground marijuana dust.

Alert

MedMen’s Illegality Defense: Will the Court Take the Case?

February 7, 2023

MedMen – a Canadian corporation, and one of the best-known names in marijuana – recently made headlines for pulling an old trick: attempting to avoid making nearly $1,000,000 of lease payments based on marijuana’s illegal status under federal law.