Video 1 KTLA Channel 5 News Story June 18, 2010: Lake Forest Medical Marijuana Dispensary Appealing Injunction Order Video 2 KTTV Channel 11 News Story June 4, 2010: Los Angeles Medical Marijuana Dispensary Challenges LA's Ordinance Video 3 Cannabis Law Group's Attorney Damian Nassiri Sues the City of Los Angeles To Block It's Ban on Medical Marijuana as Featured on PBS's So Cal Insider - Part 1

Articles Tagged with Los Angeles cannabis lawyers

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California cannabis regulators are taking pointed aim at mistreatment of cannabis company employees throughout the state. The Department of Cannabis Control has sought assistance from law enforcement agencies throughout the state to help identify and root out labor exploitation, which they say has become a serious problem in the marijuana industry. There are even allegations of cartel-driving human trafficking within the cannabis industry. California cannabis employment lawyer

Even mor recently, the California Department of Industrial Relations issued a reminder to cannabis employers that they are bound to comply with California labor law requirements. Further, it was noted that labor protections apply to ALL workers – regardless of the worker’s immigration status or even the legal status of the business. That means individuals operating unlicensed cannabis businesses can catch heat not only for operating unlawfully, but also for failing to follow state statutes pertaining to worker rights.

As longtime Los Angeles cannabis lawyers who also practice employment law in Southern California, we are closely familiar with the intersection of these issues and the unique legal questions that can arise.

Cannabis businesses are expected to provide workers with:

  • Minimum wage. The statewide minimum is $15.50 as of January 2023. Some cities may impose higher minimum wages.
  • Overtime paid at 1.5 the regular rate. Generally, overtime rates must be paid if an employee works more than 8 hours in a day or more than 40 hours in a week. If the employee works more than 12 hours in a workday, they must be paid double for all hours worked in excess of eight on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek.
  • Valid workers’ compensation insurance. If the worker is hurt on the job, they have a right to expect workers’ compensation coverage, which is required by almost all employers in the state. If the company doesn’t have workers’ compensation insurance, they can be fined by the government and the worker can can sue them for damages.

The new unit of the DCC is aimed at taking action against cannabis companies that coerce or threaten workers, compel them to work in dangerous conditions, or deny them pay, benefits, or breaks to which they are entitled.

Last year, the Los Angeles Times published an investigation exposing the unfair treatment of cannabis workers, who are sometimes cheated out of wages, threatened with physical harm, or compelled to work in dangerous conditions that have actually proven fatal for some. Continue reading

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When it comes to the sales and distribution of CBD, there are a lot of unknowns as far as the potential health implications – for better are worse. But now, federal regulators have released comprehensive guidance of this popular cannabinoid. The guidance reviews the potential harms, side effects, and unknowns, while stressing that state-legal cannabis dispensaries provide the safest CBD products to consumers.CBD lawyer Riverside

As our Los Angeles CBD lawyers recognize, CBD has been on store shelves legally across the U.S. since the passage of the federal 2018 Farm Bill. Recently, advisory notes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration indicate its popularity has ballooned, now being available from some 270,000 retailers across the country. It’s sold in beverages, tinctures, topical ointments, food, and more.

The primary point stressed by federal regulators is that whatever CBD’s benefits, it’s not intended or recognized as safe for children unless expressly approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for a specifically stated purpose. As it stands, the only approved purpose for administering CBD to children is to help treat rare cases of epilepsy. Even then, only the purest form of CBD is recommended.

It’s estimated that one-third of Americans used CBD or a CBD-infused product at some point in 2020.

Among the main concerns listed by the federal agency:

  • Lack of clear safety standards.
  • Inconsistent quality control.
  • Lack of uniformity in labeling.

All of these, the agency said, leads to additional concerns for accidental intoxication or overdose – primarily involving children. The primary health risks include potential for adverse drug interactions, adverse impacts to development and reproduction, and liver toxicity. These statements, however, lack the clinic research that might conclusively determine the safety (or lack thereof) with regard to CBD products. They simply haven’t been studied adequately – thanks to the U.S. government’s own rules.

What’s more, the FDA didn’t go out of its way to list the benefits of CBD – which include reduced reliance on powerful prescription medications like opioids for treatment of chronic pain and other conditions.

Despite this (and fervent calls from CBD industry advocates, stakeholders, and California lawmakers), the FDA has already stated it’s not going to issue rules specific to CBD that would allow it to be lawfully used as a food item or dietary supplement. The agency said it intends to rely on Congress to create these new rules.

The agency has also turned down numerous requests from Americans seeking FDA rules for CBD marketing. This has left California CBD retailers and manufacturers in the dark about what rules they need to follow – making it all the more imperative to rely on an experienced cannabis lawyer for guidance on walking the legal tightrope on everything from banking to advertising to sales to warehousing to order fulfilment. Continue reading

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A growing swell of support for decriminalization and legalization of marijuana – and expunging the criminal records of those with prior cannabis convictions – could indicate these policy changes might become reality in the next few years.

A top advisor to Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, stated emphatically that these would be top priorities for the new administration if he’s elected. L.A. cannabis lawyers

In an interview with MSNBC, the advisor referred to these drug reform policy proposals as “modest,” but also imperative, underscoring that neither Biden nor his pick for vice president, Kamala Harris, think people should be jailed for non-violent drug offenses.

This isn’t a total 180 from the campaign’s previous platform on drug policy, but it does indicate that marijuana reform is something that is being pushed to the forefront. The idea of decriminalizing – and going a step further to legalize – marijuana at the federal level was part of the recommendations made by a criminal justice task force that Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) launched earlier this year. But Biden’s position doesn’t go quite that far. Continue reading

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A federal lawsuit against the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Justice, challenging the constitutionality of the federal law designating marijuana a Schedule I controlled substance proceeded recently to the next level with oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. As our Los Angeles marijuana patient attorneys can explain, the crux of the argument by plaintiffs of the claim, first filed in 2017, is that the designation ignores the merits of the drug for medicinal purposes. The appeal was heard last month by the three-judge panel. Los Angeles cannabis lawyer

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include a 12-year-old epilepsy patient, an 8-year-old Leigh’s syndrome patient, an Iraq war veteran and sufferer of post-traumatic stress disorder, a former NFL player who heads a hemp company hawking sports performance products and a non-profit that helps minorities get ahead in the legal cannabis market. Defendants are acting-Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, the acting director of the DEA and the federal government.

The appeal, limited to presentations of just a few minutes per side, rests on a dispute of the assertion that the Controlled Substances Act violates the 5th Amendment, which guarantees the right of citizens to preserve life and health.  Continue reading

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Despite the fact that medical marijuana has been legal in California since 1996, many dispensaries are still operating without being in compliance with state, city, and other local regulations. Now, a targeted crackdown by San Diego law enforcement agencies is working to shut down marijuana dispensaries operating illegally.cannabis criminal defense lawyers

The San Diego Crackdown

KPBS reports that San Diego law enforcement and prosecutors began targeting illegally-operated dispensaries in March 2017. More than sixty dispensaries have been shut down in this time. The San Diego Police Department also reports that dozens of property owners and operators have been fined, charged criminally, and prosecuted for operating medical marijuana businesses without a license. All employees of the business – not just owners – are subject to prosecution. In August 2017, the Police Department warned that even delivery drivers could face criminal charges.

Two of the most recent raids indicate a shift in San Diego law enforcement policy. Prior to these operations, the San Diego PD had mostly avoided delivery services, focusing instead on dispensaries with physical retail locations. On August 2, 2017 two delivery services were raided. This may signal a shift toward prosecutions of delivery services which operate illegally. Continue reading

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With the legalization of recreational marijuana, California faces the daunting task of implementing a regulatory scheme on a scale rarely seen before. There have been few – if any – periods in state history in which an entire industry must be legalized and regulated within a narrow window of fourteen months. And yet that is the task faced by the State come January 2, 2018.cannabis regulation lawyers

In the midst of feverish work and complicated legal structures, the City of Los Angeles is garnering worldwide interest in the efficacy of its new cannabis regulations. Learn more about the system that could save taxpayers millions of dollars in regulatory costs and ensure a smooth transition into legal sales of recreational marijuana. Continue reading

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The legalization of recreational marijuana sales in California has presented many business opportunities for cannabis entrepreneurs. Now, entrepreneurs from other industries are teaming up with the cannabis industry to offer unique – and potentially profitable – pairings. Learn more about the creative ways in which other industries are finding ways to tap into the marijuana market.cannabis business planning lawyers Continue reading

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