On November 7, 2023, voters in Ohio approved Ohio Issue 2, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative (the Initiative), which legalizes marijuana for recreational use in Ohio. Among its key provisions, the Ohio Initiative creates a new Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) within the Ohio Department of Commerce (DOC) to regulate marijuana
Continue Reading Ohio Legalizes Adult-Use MarijuanaIn late August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would recommend moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. In this episode, corporate cannabis attorney Daniel Shortt moderates a discussion with tax attorney Douglas Charnas and financial services regulatory attorney
Continue Reading Podcast: Tax and Banking Implications of Rescheduling Marijuana
Proponents of marijuana reform have had cause for celebration in 2023. Despite challenges facing the industry, the political and social momentum surrounding cannabis is ticking upward.
Continue Reading SAFER Act: Marijuana May Soon Become a Bigger Deal
Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) is one of the most misunderstood and controversial cannabinoids in the Cannabis sativa (cannabis) plant. While booming in popularity, THCA is also a high-risk cannabinoid from a legal standpoint.
Following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, the marketplace for “alternative” or “minor” cannabinoids – chemical compounds
Continue Reading Is THCA Legal? The State Line is the Bottom Line
According to a report from the Congressional Research Service (the Report), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is likely to follow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recommendation to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act
Continue Reading DEA Likely to Reschedule Marijuana Based on Congressional Report
Major news broke on August 30, 2023, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it would recommend moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, as first reported by Riley Griffin for Bloomberg. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said earlier this year that the recommendation
Continue Reading From Schedule I to Schedule III: Potential Shift in Marijuana’s Legal Status
On August 8, 2023, Ohio voters defeated a proposed amendment to the state’s Constitution that would have required at least 60% of the vote on any citizen-initiated proposal to amend the Constitution, otherwise known as Issue 1. Since 1912, the Ohio Constitution has required only a majority of the vote
Continue Reading All Eyes on Ohio’s Adult-Use Marijuana Measure Post Issue 1 Defeat
Marijuana is currently listed as a Schedule I substance in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA); this scheduling means the federal government concluded marijuana has no currently accepted medical use in any setting. This could change as the Biden Administration evaluates marijuana’s current legal status, potentially opening the door to rescheduling
Continue Reading Rescheduling Marijuana: Understanding the Legal Impacts
A hard lesson was learned after cannabis was discovered in a suitcase at the airport: the government does not have to prove cannabis is marijuana to convict you of trafficking in marijuana. A new case recently clarified that the legal burden shifts and requires the accused to produce evidence that
Continue Reading Hemp in Your Suitcase Can Get You Convicted of Trafficking in Marijuana
According to reporting from Kyle Jaegar of Marijuana Moment, the federal government aims to finish its review of marijuana’s current legal status by the end of 2023, based on remarks from the head of the U.S. Department of Health of Human Services (HHS), Secretary Xavier Becerra. Becerra told Marijuana
Continue Reading Federal Legalization of Marijuana May Be Closer Than You Think