In the days of the Armada, a fleet of warships, the scuttlebutt was the rumor or gossip that would spread throughout the ship. Today, Armada Law Corp presents The Scuttlebutt, a daily summery of news articles that people within the cannabis, hemp and plant medicine industries are chatting about along with links to the full articles.
In today’s news:
Feds And Marijuana Businesses Jointly Agree On Deadline Extension For Lawsuit Challenging Prohibition
#cannabislawsuit – “The U.S. attorney general and a coalition of marijuana businesses represented by an influential law firm have jointly agreed to request a deadline extension for the filing of initial briefs in a much-anticipated lawsuit against the federal government that seeks to block the enforcement of cannabis prohibition against state-legal activity.
In the lawsuit, the businesses have claimed that perpetuating prohibition in state markets is unconstitutional, creating undue public safety risks while precluding licensed marijuana businesses from accessing critical financial services and tax deductions that are available to other industries….”
Company behind Missouri marijuana recall poses legal challenge to state’s regulations
#cannabisindustry – “Missouri’s crackdown on a cannabis company accused of illegally importing THC concentrate could lead to a showdown over the state’s authority to regulate the industry.
Delta Extraction had its license to manufacture cannabis products revoked in November, months after a massive recall pulled more than 60,000 products off the shelves — which the state says were illegally made with a hemp-derived THC concentrate imported from out of state.
As the legal battle continues to drag out, the company has upped the ante: If the state continues its efforts to sanction Delta and the recalled products, it will respond with litigation the company’s attorneys believe could gut Missouri’s marijuana regulations….”
Marijuana shop closed and didn’t pay its weed bill, lawsuit claims. It’s not the first.
#cannabisindustry – “The pungent marijuana that once lined the walls and filled display cases inside Bay City’s Diamond Cannabis store disappeared with customers months ago.
Employees and managers also moved on, but heavy unpaid debt lingers, according to several lawsuits reviewed by MLive.
Marijuana industry insiders and attorneys tell MLive this cut-and-run scenario is a growing problem in the 4-year-old, $3 billion-a-year Michigan market….”
LA Times Gets Cease-and-Desist Ahead of Cannabis Story
#californiacannabis – “The Los Angeles Times published an investigative series this week on a Southern California cannabis brand, Stiiizy, despite attorneys for this brand and its co-founder sending a cease-and-desist letter and threatening a lawsuit beforehand.
The Times wrote about how nine properties owned by holding companies connected to Stiiizy co-founder Tony Huang have been identified by state and local authorities “as sites of illegal dispensaries, according to a Times review of property, court and tax records. The documents, as well as interviews with law enforcement officials and dispensary employees, revealed ties between Huang’s properties and a larger web of unlawful cannabis storefronts across the Southland connected through real estate deals, common lenders or shared tenants.””
Everything you need to know about the way cannabis affects your brain
#cannabisresearch – “With cannabis use rising around the world, questions about how the drug interacts with our brain are becoming ever more important. Can marijuana improve our sleep? Boost creative thinking? Make food taste better?
In our Science of cannabis series, we interrogate the biggest and boldest claims about the drug. We topple common myths about cannabis (sorry, lighting up before bed probably won’t help you sleep better) and uncover areas of promise, like quelling some forms of pain and nausea.
The series also explores how the brain interacts with cannabis’s psychoactive compound THC, with sometimes life-long consequences. Marijuana can disrupt how young brains develop – but in older adults, it can boost the neural connections associated with memory and learning….”
New marijuana laws in California to protect employees take effect in 2024
#californiacannabis – “The new protections come from an amendment to California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (AB 2188), which was approved by Governor Gavin Newsom on Sept. 18, 2022, and goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. The bill makes it unlawful for an employer to not hire, penalize, or terminate a person based on their use of cannabis products outside of work.
Although California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996 and became one of the first to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in 2016, AB 2188 is the first law in the Golden State to specifically provide workplace protections for employees who use it for either reason….”
A quarter of Missouri cannabis microbusiness license winners deemed ineligible
#cannabisindustry – “Missouri cannabis regulators could revoke 11 of the 48 social-equity cannabis licenses issued in October after finding they didn’t meet eligibility requirements.
Nine were dispensaries and two were wholesale facilities.
Chief Equity Officer Abigail Vivas, who oversees the microbusiness program under the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said in a report released Friday that the ineligibility issues included “failure to provide documentation that the facility would be operated by eligible individuals.””
From Prohibition to Prosperity: Navigating Cannabis Legalization & Licensing in New Jersey
#newjerseycannabis – “New Jersey’s path to legal cannabis has been marked by significant strides and challenges. While cannabis has been technically legal in the state since 2009, it faced hurdles and uncertainty during the Christie https://armadalawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/blog-03-1.jpgistration. However, under Governor Murphy’s leadership, the state has made significant progress in opening the doors to a legalized cannabis market. Joshua Bauchner, chair of the Cannabis & Psychedelics practice group at Mandelbaum Barrett PC, explores the evolving landscape of cannabis in New Jersey, highlighting the legal complexities and ongoing developments….”
Read More: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/from-prohibition-to-prosperity-2531599/
Group Of Former US Attys Urges DOJ Not To Reschedule Pot
#cannabispolitics – “Nearly 30 former U.S. attorneys are urging federal authorities not to change marijuana’s status as a Schedule I substance in an open letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, calling the drug “more dangerous” now than at any time during the last 50 years.
The signatories said they are “deeply concerned” over the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation that cannabis be rescheduled, saying that doing so could only benefit criminal organizations, according to an announcement issued Thursday by Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a political organization opposed to marijuana legalization.
“Further, marijuana sales (even in jurisdictions that have legalized marijuana) in the U.S. remain a profitable enterprise for drug cartels,” the letter, dated Wednesday, said. “Now is not the time to loosen federal restrictions on a drug that addicts millions of Americans and boosts profits for cartels.””