Policy
Why Workforce Risk is Real and What it Means
Every conversation about cannabis risk follows the same script: Regulatory uncertainty, 280E, capital access, and maybe interstate commerce, depending on the room. None of that is wrong, and operators dealing with those pressures daily don’t need me to tell them they’re real. But after more than a decade working inside this industry, watching companies scale, […]
Engineering Consistency: Inside the Push for GMP-Compliant Cannabis
As cannabis becomes a globally traded medical commodity, cGMP compliance is reshaping how it is grown, handled, and transported. For operators working with imported biomass, controlling contamination and ensuring consistency across supply chains has become a defining challenge. That challenge was a central focus at the International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin, where a panel […]
Colorado Pushes to Normalize THC Beverages in Bars as Federal Pressure Mounts
As federal policymakers move toward restricting hemp-derived cannabinoid products, a new state-level effort in Colorado is taking the opposite approach by moving to integrate low-dose THC beverages into mainstream hospitality. A coalition led by Colorado-based attorney Brian Vicente, partner at Vicente LLP, has formed the Colorado THC Beverage Coalition and introduced legislation that would allow […]
Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Preserve State Control as Federal Hemp Crackdown Looms
As the U.S. hemp industry braces for potential federal disruption later this year, a new bipartisan bill aims to give states a way to maintain control over intoxicating hemp products and potentially keep the category alive. Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) have introduced the Hemp Safety Enforcement Act, legislation […]
Cannabis Biopharma Company Enters Fight Over CMS Hemp Pilot
A cannabis biopharma company is seeking to join the federal lawsuit challenging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) new hemp and CBD pilot program, adding a pharmaceutical voice to a government-sanctioned program allowing untested and unregulated hemp products into the marketplace. MMJ International Holdings and its subsidiaries, MMJ BioPharma Labs and MMJ BioPharma […]
Industry Coalition Warns New Bill Would Wipe Out California’s Legal Cannabis Beverage Market
A letter to California’s Assembly Committee on Business and Professions argues a proposed 10mg THC-per-package cap would eliminate 93% of beverage sales — and more than $21 million in annual tax revenue. But the bill has a longer backstory rooted in child safety, audit findings, and a statewide crackdown on unregulated hemp products. A broad […]
Industry Coalition Warns AB 2532 Would Wipe Out California’s Legal Cannabis Beverage Market
A letter to California’s Assembly Committee on Business and Professions argues a proposed 10mg THC-per-package cap would eliminate 93% of beverage sales — and more than $21 million in annual tax revenue. But the bill has a longer backstory rooted in child safety, audit findings, and a statewide crackdown on unregulated hemp products. A broad […]
Meet California’s New Director of Cannabis Control
California’s medical cannabis market began in 1996 when voters passed Proposition 215 (the Compassionate Use Act), making it the first state to legalize cannabis for medical use. Twenty-two years later, Proposition 64 ushered in adult-use sales, which commenced in January 2018. Initially, three separate agencies handled different aspects of the industry: The Bureau of Cannabis […]
The Case For Cannabis Telemedicine: Can it Work in the US?
It has been one year since Germany fully legalized cannabis on April 1, 2024, following the launch of its medical program in 2017. While cannabis was removed from the narcotics list, Germany continues to take a medical-first approach. Few expect full adult-use legalization anytime soon, particularly after a conservative government was elected last year. According […]
New York’s Cannabis Boom Is Real, But So Are the Risks
The Most Exciting US Market No cannabis market in the United States has experienced a more compelling growth trajectory over the past two years than New York. After a halting and often-criticized launch, the state’s legal adult-use market has accelerated at an unmatched pace. In 2023, New York generated a paltry $100 million in legal […]