1,101 posts by 291 firms and lawyers
Cannabis law explained by the lawyers who practise it: analysis and commentary from law firms around the world, with the Cannabis Law Journal.
A Michigan cannabis grower proved its case. A jury found that the buyer breached its supply agreement and awarded the grower $31.8 million in damages. But the grower still walked away without an enforceable verdict.
The DEA has now done what many in the hemp industry feared it would: it specifically listed hexahydrocannabinol, or HHC, in Schedule I and assigned it its own DEA drug code, effective May 4, 2026. The position is not subtle.
The week of April 18 through April 23, 2026 produced two distinct and legally consequential federal actions on controlled substances. On April 18, President Trump signed Executive Order 14401, directing the federal government to…
Sine die came for Oregon’s 2026 legislative session last Friday, March 6th. I previewed the roster of cannabis bills in play back on February 12th. Two of them passed; two of them failed. Below is a recap of the action, with…
Federal cannabis policy is entering a period of transition. Executive action toward federal rescheduling under the Controlled Substances Act, ongoing constitutional litigation, and congressional efforts to amend the federal…
Despite the rapid expansion of state-legal cannabis markets, the constitutional limits on how states may regulate those markets remain unsettled. One of the most significant unresolved questions is whether the Dormant Commerce…
Since our 2024 update on California’s Labor Peace Agreement (“LPA”) requirement, the landscape for licensees in recreational cannabis states such as California and New York has remained murky.
Following a two-week jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, Goodwin’s IP litigation team achieved a unanimous defense verdict for Central Coast Agriculture, Inc. (CCA)…
What is the dormant commerce clause, and how does it relate to state cannabis programs? What have courts done with DCC cannabis lawsuits to date? What’s different about the JPH case in Oregon? What happened to the first JPH case,…
There is no universal definition, but generally, a hemp beverage is any drink, typically a seltzer, soda, or mocktail, containing hemp-derived cannabinoids or terpenes. Common cannabinoids in these beverages include CBD and THC,…
The Future of Unionization in the Cannabis Industry Grows Uncertain Under the New Administration
On December 19, the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held oral arguments in Variscite NY Four, LLC v. New York State Cannabis Control Board, the latest front in an ongoing legal war over whether the…
Proposed language in the next Farm Bill could substantially impact the hemp industry in the United States. The Farm Bill is an omnibus bill that governs agriculture and food and is renewed approximately every five years. The 2018…
The 1984 film The Terminator featured a deadly robot assassin who looked like a regular guy (if by “regular guy” you mean a young, jacked Arnold Schwarzenegger). The horror of it all was that the victims could not tell if the…
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (“DEA”) classification of certain hemp-derived cannabinoids as unlawful was not entitled to deference, given that the language of…
“ The Court took the DEA to task, specifically finding its position that THC-O is illegal as set forth in its Interim Final Rule and its February 13, 2023 letter to me, to be unpersuasive: “Though we “may . . ’“ Ouch. I’m…
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (“DEA”) classification of certain hemp-derived cannabinoids as unlawful was not entitled to deference, given that the language of…
” A copy of the Opinion is included below, or you can click here to read it. The Opinion was requested by Arizona lawmakers, state Rep. Steve Montenegro and state Sen. J. Shope. G.
” A year and a half later, have any D8 products supported a valid trademark? According to USPTO, as of January 2, 2024, it has registered four trademarks with the term “delta-8” included in their goods and services…
Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended to the Drug Enforcement Administration that cannabis be rescheduled on the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) from a I to a III. At the same time, the SAFER Banking…