New York Governor Andrew Cuomo yesterday signed a cannabis decriminalization and expungement statute, a sort of second prize following the state's failure to pass legalization of adult use of cannabis in June. The bill takes effect in 30 days and provides just a violation (like...
The last few months have witnessed a number of dramatic developments for American companies seeking capital in the fast-growing cannabis industry. In total, these changes portend greater access to funding for these companies. Here is more on these notable deals. (Note: none of the companies...
Last week, the New York City Council overwhelmingly approved a new local law to prohibit city employers from testing potential employees for marijuana use. This weekend Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated he will sign the bill. There are certain exceptions, permitting marijuana testing for police,...
On Tuesday, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo released draft adult use cannabis legislation. Called the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act (CRTA- which we've decided to pronounce KUR-TA as opposed to sounding like the bed company Serta), it is just a few hundred pages long. Here are...
Earlier this month, surprising many in the industry, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced it is proposing to significantly increase the amount of cannabis it will permit to be grown for research purposes in 2019. The 2018 limit, about 1000 pounds, will be increased to over...
In a rather symbolic moment in the march to the legalization of industrial hemp, the caretakers at George Washington’s Mount Vernon farm announced in May (although it has only recently received news attention) that they have planted a small crop of industrial hemp. They are...
The United Kingdom this week approved the legalization of medical cannabis. The decision was made by the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, who said, "Recent cases involving sick children made it clear to me that our position on cannabis-related medicinal products was not satisfactory." As a...
Today the US Food & Drug Administration announced approval of the first legal cannabis-based drug. The drug, GW Pharmaceuticals' Epidiolex, which will be prescribed to treat severe seizures caused by Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, will be offered in liquid form and will not contain...
Updated 1:03 PM following release of bill text. On the White House lawn this morning, getting ready to leave for the G-7 summit in Canada, Pres. Trump made positive comments about the cannabis bill introduced yesterday by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The...
Updated 6/8/2017 following release of bill text: Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) today introduced the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act. While we have not seen the text yet, Sen. Warren has published a summary. The bill would amend the Controlled...