recreational marijuana business

August 29, 2018

Report: California Recreational Marijuana Stores Lacking

Economics 101 teaches us about supply and demand, but you don’t need a business degree to see that the supply of marijuana business lawyers recreational marijuana retailers is way lower than the demand in California. For every 100,000 residents, there is less than one store available that sells adult-use product, according to recent data released by Marijuana Business Daily. Furthermore, most of those stores are crammed into a few select areas, due to the fact that Prop 64 allows local governments to opt out of allowing sales or cultivation, though they are not allowed to ban personal use. To be more precise, there are 482 cities in California, and to date, only 70 of those cities allow retailers to sell recreational marijuana.

Comparatively speaking, this puts California not only behind its own estimates for store fronts and sales figures, but also behind its peers. It’s been nine months since recreational marijuana sales began in the state. At the nine-month mark in Colorado, the state had awarded 242 licenses. Considering the state has a smaller population than California, this put the total at 4.3 stores per 100,000 residents. Now, Colorado has 10 times the amount of stores per capita, while Oregon currently has 15 times more recreational marijuana stores per person. Continue reading

July 7, 2018

Recreational Marijuana Use Legal in Vermont; Sales, Not So Much

By Cannabis Law Group

Recreational marijuana is now officially legal in Vermont, but it looks quite a bit different than it does in California. According to Associated Press, the new law that recently went into effect did not include provisions for how to tax and regulate marijuana production. As our marijuana attorneys can explain, this means while residents can possess and consume cannabis, they cannot open up a business to sell recreational products.

Broken down into more precise terms, this is what adult-use legalization means for those in Vermont. Residents are allowed to have four immature cannabis plants and two mature plants in their homes, so while it’s true there are no stores to purchase from, marijuana can be grown at home. Plants must be in enclosures that are secure and obscured from public view. Renters, however, must have permission from their landlords before they are allowed to begin a grow. Those 21 years and older are allowed to possess up to one ounce of marijuana, but it cannot be consumed in public spaces. Continue reading

July 3, 2018

Creative Solutions for California Marijuana Business Owners

By Cannabis Law Group

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade … or in this case cannabis-infused water. A brewery in northern California called Lagunitas is doing just that with a line of sparkling waters it plans to sell in dispensaries. Drinks with cannabis are not common, but the brewery was able to achieve what other marijuana businesses have been afraid to tackle thanks to some creative thinking and close consideration of the law.

As our cannabis attorneys can explain, many in the beverage industry have been nervous to dabble in cannabis drinks out of concern for Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 812. Because the law bans marijuana and lists it as a Schedule I narcotic, brewers worry that crossing the federal government could put their alcohol licenses at risk, even if they are abiding by state laws. That’s where ingenuity, creative problem solving and help from a knowledgeable legal team can help. Continue reading

April 15, 2018

For Those in California ‘Pot Deserts,’ Legal Weed is Just a Mirage

By Cannabis Law Group

Both medical and recreational marijuana are now legal in California. And yet for about 40 percent of the state, it would be difficult to tell. Thanks to some data analysis compiled by The Sacramento Bee, we can clearly see how local regulations have shaped the pot landscape in the state as a whole and how it is affecting people who live in more remote areas of California.

The report defined some regions of California as being “pot deserts” – areas where residents have to travel 60 miles or more to access legal marijuana at a licensed dispensary. An additional 29 percent have to drive 30 to 60 miles to the closest location. This disparity in cannabis access stems from the clause in Proposition 64 that allows local governments to establish their own set of recreational marijuana regulations or to ban sales altogether. While a majority of residents in the state clearly favor adult-use marijuana based on the 2016 vote, there is seemingly a desire among many districts to leave the actual growing, producing, and selling of the drug to other cities … cities far away from their own. Continue reading

December 30, 2017

Long Beach Moves Forward with Recreational Marijuana Business Plans

By Cannabis Law Group

Thanks to Prop. 64, the state of California is considering applications for licenses for Los Angeles Recreational Marijuana Business Lawyers recreational marijuana businesses beginning Jan. 1, 2018.

Authority rests with local governments to decide whether to allow recreational marijuana sales to go into effect in their area, giving them power to either issue bans or develop policies for businesses to operate.

The Long Beach City Council is the latest to join the movement. The council recently voted to move ahead with developing policies for recreational marijuana businesses to operate in Long Beach. Continue reading

March 29, 2017

The Uncertain Future of Recreational Marijuana

By Cannabis Law Group

Recreational marijuana seemed like an all-but-certain prospect just a few months ago. Certainly in California, the results of the November election helped to solidify the where its future would lie in The Golden State. But that same day came the unexpected election of Donald J. Trump, which in turn has meant uncertainty for the future of legal marijuana. questionmark

We do know the American public overwhelmingly supports legalizing recreational marijuana, and many lawmakers are eyeing it as a way to rake in millions of dollars in taxes that can be used for the greater good. As of today, we have a total of eight states – including California – that have legalized cannabis for recreational use. There was hope when Trump took office that, at the very least, Obama’s “hands-off” policy would continue, given Trump’s stated support for state’s rights. But then, he appointed Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to the post of U.S. Attorney General. Sessions has long been a vocal critic of recreational marijuana. On top of that, some in the Trump administration have warned that legal recreational marijuana could be the target of federal enforcement action, as the drug still remains outlawed under federal statutes.

All of this has left us with a great deal of uncertainty moving forward. It’s really not clear to marijuana businesses or even our marijuana lawyers what move the federal government and legislators may take next. While Republicans tend to be less favorable toward recreational marijuana on the whole, the issue is not split solely down party lines and a lot of Republicans support it. Continue reading