The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (“CRC”) has finally come into existence, and now, the hard work begins.

By way of background, the CRC was created by statute as part of New Jersey’s medical cannabis expansion law, though the full roster of commissioners was only recently appointed. The CRC will oversee both the medical and adult-use cannabis marketplace, and is tasked by New Jersey’s adult-use implementation law with creating the rules and regulations that will govern the structure and scope of the adult-use.… More

New Mexico has recently followed the likes of Arizona, New Jersey, Virginia, and New York in becoming the 17th state to legalize adult use cannabis. Indeed, New Mexico became the second state in 24 hours to legalize adult use cannabis, following New York’s efforts the day before. Specifically, HB 2, passed the Senate and House by a vote of 22-15 and 38-32 respectively.… More

The SAFE Banking Act is back. First introduced in 2019, the Secure and Fair Enforcement Act (“SAFE”) passed in the House but died in the Republican-controlled Senate. Now, the bill has been reintroduced in both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support, as well as support from the American Bankers Association. Despite broad support, it remains unclear – and probably unlikely – the legislation could move as a standalone bill without accompanying removal of cannabis from the schedule of controlled substances and restorative justice provisions to expunge or pardon past cannabis offenses.… More

New York has been the most recent focal point of adult-use legalization activity following news last week that the Governor and Legislature have seemingly come to consensus on an adult use legalization bill. Just this weekend, the New York State Legislature made public its drafts of S854 and A1248, with a goal of passing these bills and signing them into law sometime this week.… More

On the heels of recent legalization and/or implementation efforts in states like Virginia, New Jersey, and Arizona, New York is now positioned to become the 17th state in the country to legalize adult use cannabis.

Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, D-Buffalo, the sponsor of A.B. 1248, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (“MRTA”), has indicated that the New York Legislature will vote on a cannabis legalization bill sometime next week.… More

Vape product sellers face a new legal landscape after Congress recently expanded the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (“PACT”) Act to cover vaping devices. The amendments to the PACT Act came in the waning days of 2020 as a little noticed addition to a consolidated budget and Covid-19 relief bill.

The requirements of the PACT Act now apply to all Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, or “ENDS”, which are defined as: “any electronic device that,… More

Prior to his Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing last week, Judge Merrick Garland had not clarified his views on marijuana policy and how he would approach the issue if confirmed as Attorney General. However, after his confirmation hearing, we can almost certainly expect to see the Justice Department shifting back towards the Obama-era approach and limiting resources spent on federal marijuana enforcement.

During the first day of the confirmation hearings last week,… More

New Jersey Cannabis had itself a week. Following a recent decision permitting the New Jersey Department of Health, Medical Marijuana Division (“DOH”) to continue scoring its 2019 Request for Applications (“2019 RFA”) and award twenty-four (24) additional medical cannabis licenses, New Jersey doubled down; with Governor Murphy not only signing into law the adult-use enabling legislation, but also finally appointing the remainder of the Commissioners to the five (5) person Cannabis Regulatory Commission (“CRC”).… More

Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have been gaining traction as one of the most popular exit strategies over the last year. They have been pitched as an easier way to go public because of the ease of working with one partner versus the large courting that typically happens with an IPO. But…is it too good to be true? Is this a fad or is it here to stay?

Our webinar panelists provide an overview of what a SPAC is,… More

As many are well-aware, the Cannabis Regulators Association (“CANNRA”) was formed at the end of 2020 with the goal of sharing institutional knowledge and regulatory best practices in order to assist federal, state and local jurisdictions that have approved or are considering approving the legalization of cannabis. The goals and collective wisdom of a body like CANNRA have only become all the more important with growing discussions as to whether and in what format cannabis should be legalized at the federal level.… More