Tag Archives: Controlled Substances Act

Will the United States Attorney General, via the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) follow the recent recommendation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to reschedule cannabis to Schedule III? The plain language in the United States Controlled Substances Act (the “CSA”) compels DEA to do so, but there is speculation that the DEA could disregard the last week’s historic HHS Recommendation because of the Attorney General’s limited duty under Section 811(d)(1) of the CSA.… More

In light of the August 30, 2023 historic recommendation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reschedule cannabis to Schedule III, a multidisciplinary group of attorneys from Foley Hoag’s nationwide Cannabis practice provides the following outlook and analysis of what’s next:

Rescheduling Q&A

1)    What happened?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made a recommendation to the U.S.… More

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”) identified this week that it considers certain types of novel cannabinoids to be federally illegal schedule I substances, even if they were derived from hemp.

As many are aware, the legality of hemp-derived products often spurs more questions than answers. Moreover, intoxicating cannabinoids are not alone in that regard, as the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (“FDA”) just recently concluded that existing regulatory frameworks for foods and supplements are not appropriate for cannabidiol (CBD),… More

Key Takeaways:

• Massachusetts is on the brink of becoming the next member of a growing number of states that are “decoupling” from Section 280E, the federal tax law that severely limits the extent to which cannabis-related businesses can deduct expenses for income tax purposes.
• If pending legislation is enacted, such limitations would not apply for Massachusetts state income tax purposes, leading to potential tax relief for Massachusetts cannabis-related businesses.…

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A Colorado federal jury sided last week with a cannabis cultivation business owner against his neighbor in one of the first Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) lawsuits against a cannabis grower to reach a jury verdict in the nation.  The plaintiffs in Reilly v. 6480 Pickney brought suit under the federal RICO statute, arguing that certain predicate acts related to marijuana cultivation led to odors and noises emanating from the defendant’s business facility that had damaged plaintiffs’… More

A recent decision in a closely-watched commercial cannabis case opens the possibility for increased commercial activity in the nascent recreational cannabis market in Massachusetts.  On August 21, Judge Burroughs of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a memorandum and order on motions to dismiss in Crimson Galeria Limited Partnership, et al. v. Healthy Pharms, Inc., et al, granting a victory for the named government defendants (Massachusetts Department of Public Health,… More

With July 1st in the rear-view mirror and provisional licenses spreading throughout the Commonwealth, we thought now would be a good time for an update on the status of federal law enforcement’s unenviable task of enforcing the federal prohibition against marijuana in a state that has decriminalized the drug.  First a quick history lesson: recall that in 2013, the Obama administration released the Cole memorandum, a document meant to provide guidance to federal law enforcement in those state jurisdictions that had decriminalized marijuana. … More

Although marijuana is becoming legal to varying degrees in an increasing number of states, your chances of getting a marijuana trademark registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) are still grim. In order to register a trademark with the PTO, the applicant has to show that the goods or services with which the mark will be used are permitted under federal law. Therefore, until marijuana gets reclassified by or removed from the federal Controlled Substances Act,… More