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News Release

McGlinchey Launches “Green Leaf Brief” Cannabis Blog

Read Time: 1 min

McGlinchey is pleased to announce the launch of the Green Leaf Brief, the home of articles and insights from attorneys in McGlinchey’s Cannabis Industry Group. It examines the legal issues impacting the marijuana, hemp, and ancillary business communities, covering everything from licensing and operations, employment, and taxes, to investments, banking and finance, real estate, insurance, and intellectual property.

“This area of law is rapidly evolving and growing, in both its increasing geographic scope and the types of businesses it impacts,” said Heidi Urness, Chair of McGlinchey’s Cannabis Industry Group. “Industry stakeholders, from licensees to ancillary companies and financers, are looking for guidance. Our diverse national team has the comprehensive combination of knowledge and experience that businesses and individuals rely on to navigate this highly regulated industry.”

The Green Leaf Brief already hosts more than 50 cannabis-centered articles covering issues ranging from employment to insurance, tax, and transportation. McGlinchey’s Cannabis team harnesses a nationally recognized reputation and a footprint spanning the United States to help businesses enter, navigate, and grow within new and emerging cannabis markets. McGlinchey lawyers know the ins and outs of these complex frameworks, have the experience to navigate the changing legal landscapes, and identify the opportunities available for industry participants.

“As the laws continue to evolve, and more businesses expand into the industry, McGlinchey stands ready to provide industry-leading counsel,” said Michael Ferachi, McGlinchey’s Managing Member. “The firm’s focus and depth representing highly regulated entities, paired with our experience advising companies in all stages of the business lifecycle in securing funding, real estate, intellectual property, and tax matters, position us uniquely to provide clients with robust, reliable, dynamic counsel on the matters at issue in this complex, rapidly expanding field.”

Insights

Podcasts

Podcast: Cannabis and Bankruptcy, Ep. 3: Considerations for Lenders

June 30, 2023

This is the third installment in our three-part series: “Exploring Issues in Cannabis and Bankruptcy.” In this final episode, we'll explore what the two recent decisions in Blumsack and Hacienda mean for creditors in the cannabis industry and also what rights are available to lenders and marijuana financiers in the bankruptcy context.

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.  

News Release

Three Green Light Law Group Attorneys Join McGlinchey

May 16, 2023

McGlinchey is pleased to announce that three nationally recognized attorneys who specialize in complex litigation, transactional, and regulatory matters across the spectrum of cannabis businesses have joined McGlinchey in Seattle and Albany.

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.

Published Article

Ohio Appellate Decision Tackles Excluded Coverage for Marijuana Use

April 4, 2023

One area where uncertainty abounds in the insurance field is in connection with the marijuana, or cannabis, industry. The increasing number of states legalizing marijuana for both recreational and medical use raises critical questions regarding if and how insurance coverage should be made available with respect to auto or other general property and casualty insurance claims involving damages or injuries that occur when a person is under the influence of 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

WA Application Period for Social Equity Marijuana Retail Licenses Opens March 1

February 15, 2023

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) will open the application period for Social Equity marijuana retail licenses on March 1, 2023. The application period will close on March 30, 2023. More than 40 marijuana retail licenses that were forfeited, canceled, revoked, or never issued will be made available to social equity applicants in specific jurisdictions across the state.