Photo of Steve Levine

Steve is head of the firm’s Food Systems industry unit, Steve leads more than 45 professionals from numerous practice areas focused on the various food and agriculture industries. He excels in bringing creative, cost-effective solutions to the various challenges that our clients face.

Since 2009, Steve’s major focus has been on the burgeoning cannabis industry, where he guides clients through the tangle of shifting regulations governing the sale and use of cannabis in both the marijuana and industrial hemp sectors across the nation.

Creating further confusion and uncertainty in the hemp derived cannabidiol (CBD) markets, the FDA has determined that the existing regulatory frameworks for food and supplements are not appropriate for CBD. The FDA cited various safety concerns as the impetuous in making this determination.

FDA has concluded that a new regulatory pathway for CBD is

The 2022 Midterm Election revealed a mixed bag of results regarding the legalization of adult use (recreational) marijuana: voters in Maryland and Missouri approved adult-use legalization measures whereas voters in Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota rejected similar legalization efforts.

Continue Reading 2022 Midterm Election Results: A Mixed Bag for Marijuana

A split First Circuit panel affirmed yesterday that the US Constitution’s dormant commerce clause applies to the federally illegal medical marijuana industry and that a Maine law mandating local ownership of cannabis businesses was struck down.

What does this mean?

Since Colorado became the first state to regulate medical cannabis, there has always been a

Husch Blackwell has launched its Psychedelics and Emerging Therapies team, an interdisciplinary, cross-office group of lawyers capable of addressing the challenges faced by innovators that seek to research, develop and commercialize novel therapies based on psychedelic drugs. Many of these drugs are regulated by a patchwork of state and federal laws regulating Schedule I controlled substances.
Continue Reading Husch Blackwell Launches Psychedelics and Emerging Therapies Practice Group

Husch Blackwell’s Cannabis Group is thrilled to announce their expanded presence in the Northeast. This expansion into Boston coincides with a strong year for the cannabis team. In June 2021, Chambers USA cited the team’s cross-disciplinary approach that utilizes its well-established base in regulatory compliance to advise on a range of transactions and business structuring

On June 21, 2021, the U. S. Supreme Court declined to hear Eric D. Speidell, et al., Petitioners v. United States, which sought to overturn the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2020 opinion on Speidell v. United States. In that case, the Tenth Circuit rejected the argument of several Colorado medical marijuana dispensaries that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not have authority to investigate whether a taxpayer is dealing in controlled substances. Because the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, the Tenth Circuit ruling stands, and taxpayers can reasonably expect courts across the country to reach similar results as the Tenth Circuit did. Marijuana-related businesses can expect the IRS to continue aggressively enforcing Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code.
Continue Reading Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to IRS Enforcement of Cannabis Tax Rules