‘California’
UPDATE: DEA (sort of ) Explains Why It’s Demanding Confidential State Licensing Records
Aug. 8, 2020—As I blogged back in July 2020, the DEA has subpoenaed the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), demanding records the agency has gathered on a handful of state-licensed cannabis companies. See DEA Subpoena of California BCC Licensing Records is Probably Unconstitutional. The records include cannabis inventory reports submitted by the licensees. Not surprisingly, California considers...
DEA subpoena of California BCC licensing records is probably unconstitutional
Jul. 26, 2020—Back in January, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued an administrative subpoena to the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), demanding the state agency turn over information regarding a handful of state-licensed cannabis companies. The information includes license applications and shipping manifests from the companies. At the time, the BCC refused to comply, claiming...
California Issues (Draft) Formal Ethics Opinion for Attorneys Advising Marijuana Clients
Nov. 14, 2019—It escaped my attention earlier, but it looks like the California Bar Association in June issued guidance for California-licensed attorneys informing them of what legal services they may (and may not) ethically provide to marijuana clients. The 16 page opinion from the State Bar Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct (COPRAC) can be found...
California Takes on Weedmaps Over Unlicensed Marijuana Shops
Mar. 15, 2018—In February 2018, California regulators demanded that Weedmaps stop advertising marijuana shops that aren’t licensed by the state. The confrontation has raised some interesting legal issues concerning the liability of third parties (the subject of Chapters 11-14 of my book) which I discuss below. But first, let me provide some necessary background on Weedmaps and...
DOJ Suit Challenging California Sanctuary Laws Could Have Ramifications for State Marijuana Reforms as Well
Mar. 8, 2018—On March 6 the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit challenging California’s sanctuary state policies as preempted. Those sanctuary policies are designed to mitigate state concerns over the enforcement of federal immigration laws. The DOJ’s Brief in Support of its Motion for a Preliminary Injunction provides a useful summary of the challenged state laws...
Cases to Watch: California Growers Association vs. California Department of Food and Agriculture
Feb. 3, 2018—UPDATE (2/20/20): The California Grower’s Association voluntarily dropped its lawsuit back in January of 2019. See Scott Rodd, Growers association drops lawsuit against state over permitting large-scale cannabis cultivators, Sacramento Business Journal. However, the issues discussed below remain relevant as states ponder whether / how to regulate the structure of the licensed marijuana industry. An association of...
Do (Should) State Marijuana Reforms Apply Retroactively?
Dec. 2, 2017—Suppose that Danica violates her state’s marijuana prohibition. If the state later repeals that prohibition, does (and should) the repeal apply retroactively to Danica’s offense? To date, most states have failed to explicitly address this question. But California and Colorado have recently begun offering relief for some marijuana offenses that pre-date their respective reforms. California’s...
California’s Public Education Campaign
Oct. 20, 2017—When states legalize marijuana for adults, they commonly launch campaigns to educate the public on how to use the drug safely. The book discusses some examples drawn from early adopters, like Colorado’s “Good to Know” campaign (see pages 232-35 and 500, n.3). Now California is getting in on the act. Last month the state department...