The USDA retracted its previous policy today and has permitted the organic certification of industrial hemp by certified agents accredited by the NOP, if produced in accordance with USDA organic regulations. For imported hemp, existing regulations and guidelines continue to govern whether products may be certified as organic.
What does this mean?
Industrial hemp cultivated…
The US Department of Agriculture provided statements of principals on industrial hemp, in consultation with the DEA and the FDA, to inform the public how Federal law applies to activities associated with industrial hemp that is grown in accordance with the Agricultural Act of 2014. Generally, the statement of principles are consistent with my …
A favorable ruling from the Ninth Circuit in United States v. McIntosh is a reassuring win for the medical marijuana industry. This federal case concluded that § 542 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act prohibits DOJ from spending money on actions that prevent medical marijuana states giving practical effect to their state laws that authorize…
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration filed documents with the Federal Register on Thursday outlining its denial of petitions to reschedule marijuana. The DEA stated that marijuana has no known medical use and that the decision was based heavily on the evaluations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human…
, President Obama cited areas where Democrats and Republicans may be able to work together, including criminal justice reform and prescription drug abuse. Prescription drug overdoses, which now kill 44 people each day, have turned into an epidemic on a national scale.
Obama’s speech to a Republican-controlled Congress to work out a bi-partisan approach…
The US Government has urged SCOTUS to pass on hearing the dispute among Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado over Colorado’s law legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. In a brief filed late Wednesday night, U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr., stated that Nebraska and Oklahoma have not sufficiently alleged that Colorado has inflicted direct injury…
On Tuesday, November 3, 2015, Husch Blackwell will host a seminar on Section 280E tax deductions and best practices for cannabis businesses. Section 280E forbids businesses from deducting otherwise ordinary business expenses (advertising expenses, insurance, employee wages, etc.) from gross income associated with the “trafficking” of Schedule I or II substances. The IRS has subsequently applied…
BIS Research has published the North American Cannabis Market – Analysis and Forecast Through 2015-2025 estimating “the cannabis derivative market value to grow over $20.7 billion by 2020 at an estimated CAGR of 29.80% from 2014 to 2020.”
So what does this mean?
There is an old adage that it wasn’t the gold miners that…
Not only do marijuana centers in Colorado need to be worried about MED inspection of pesticides used in cultivation, but they should be on the look-out for investigative exposes being conducted by journalists. The Denver Post has alleged that MED prohibited pesticides are still being found in marijuana products sold in Denver.
For those of…
Colorado recently modified its marijuana establishment ownership laws by creating a new class of ownership called the Permitted Economic Interest (PEI). As a result of this change, the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division will be promulgating new rules for individuals that wish to invest or loan money to licensed marijuana establishments through the issuance of convertible…
