California cannabis business plans

June 30, 2018

Senate Plants Seed for Hemp Legalization

U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted to pass HR-2 Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill, which contains (among standard cannabis business food policy legislation) measures to legalize industrial hemp sales, cultivation, and processing, according to a report from Forbes. Hemp is a variety of cannabis popular for its lower concentrations of THC and higher levels of CBD, the non-psychoactive component of marijuana. This has made it ideal for creating a variety of products, from plastics to biofuel to animal feed to yarn.

The federal ban on marijuana has made no distinction between these strains of cannabis and THC-laden versions, which has caused Americans to seek out everyday products that happen to include hemp from other countries. Finally, a bipartisan group of politicians, led by Mitch McConnell (R-KY), is standing up for this common sense action. Continue reading

June 2, 2018

Fighting Pests on Cannabis Farms the Legal Way

By Cannabis Law Group

One of the biggest obstacles for any farming community is how to best control pests. Each plant attracts a different cannabis business set of insects and animals and requires special care to deter wildlife from harming crops. Farmers must also take into consideration how pest-control methods could harm natural surroundings and affect the people who will consume the product. Cannabis farms are no different, though they lack the years of shared wisdom other farmers have gathered. In fact, cannabis farmers have to be even more thoughtful in some ways about what they use because their end product isn’t easily washable like an apple. Although it wouldn’t seem a cannabis attorney would be your first consult on this front, it’s worthwhile to review it with your counsel so you are sure you’re abiding local and state environmental regulations.

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation, has been tasked by California’s Medicinal Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act to provide guidelines for pesticide use in cannabis farming. The department said there is not a pesticide product federally registered for use specifically for cannabis farmers. However, there are plenty of pesticides that can legally be used on cannabis so long as they meet certain criteria. Continue reading

May 2, 2018

Cannabis Businesses, Local Governments to Benefit from New Group

By Cannabis Law Group

Mendocino County is the latest to sign an agreement with the California Cannabis Authority in an effort to help local governments with regulatory compliance and assist in creating a rich pool cannabis business of data about the cannabis industry. Our attorneys know one of the most difficult things about establishing any new industry is lack of concrete data. There can be a lot of growing pains as authorities and economic leaders gather a foundation of facts that help in making critical decisions about public safety, regulations, and taxation. This is particularly true when dealing with a controlled substance, like marijuana. Even though marijuana has been legal for medical purposes in California since the passing of the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, the switch to recreational legalization in the state as of Jan. 1 was a real game changer. MAUCRSA, Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulations and Safety Act, was created to combine guidelines for medical marijuana with all the new stringent licensing rules for recreational cannabis, so all regulations lived under one umbrella.

The mission of the newly formed California Cannabis Authority is to “develop and manage a statewide data platform that will gather, collect, and analyze information from a myriad of data sources into one resource.” The more local governments that participate, the more compelling and significant the data will be for everyone who accesses it.

The group was created by the California State Association of Counties Finance Corp. The group started with San Luis Obispo, Humboldt, and Monterey Counties on board, with Mendocino following suit. According to a report by the Ukiah Daily Journal, the platform will make it easier to track tax payments, provide compliance information to county departments, and allow health officials to access product information. Continue reading

October 17, 2017

California Formally Requests That the Federal Government Reclassify Marijuana

By Cannabis Law Group

The conflict between state and federal law has caused many challenges and legal confusion for Californians ever since medical marijuana was legalized by state law in 1996. Beyond these procedural inconveniences, the legal conflict has sparked broader discussions about the role of marijuana in American society, and California, specifically. These issues came to a head when Californians approved the recreational use of marijuana on November 8, 2016. Now, all adults in California have the right to use marijuana for recreational purposes. The California government has now taken yet another step toward addressing the chasm between state and federal marijuana laws. Orange County cannabis lawyers

The Joint Resolution

Forbes reports that, in September 2017, the California Assembly passed a joint resolution to call upon the federal government to reclassify marijuana. The Resolution specifically requests reclassification for the purpose of legal research and development of cannabis for medical use. Currently, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug under federal law. This designation is reserved for drugs with no medical value and a high risk of abuse. For comparison: cocaine and methamphetamine are classified in the less-restrictive Schedule II category.

In addition to research and medical developments, the Assembly also identified concerns with access to financial services for cannabis businesses. The current federal prohibition on marijuana means that most marijuana businesses are prevented from using traditional banks and lending institutions. Many of these businesses simply operate on a cash basis, which makes them vulnerable to theft and violent crime, and also makes it difficult to collect tax revenues on income which is legitimate under state law, but considered illegal drug money under federal law. Continue reading