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Cannabis
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April 19, 2024
Blumenauer: This 4/20 Will Be The Last For Schedule I Pot
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., one of the most ardent champions of marijuana policy reform on Capitol Hill, said Friday that he was optimistic 2024 would be final year that cannabis would remain a Schedule I substance under federal law.
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April 18, 2024
NY Tribe Says Smoke Shop Group Can't Be Trusted With Data
The Cayuga Nation is urging a New York federal judge to keep one of the entrepreneurs it's accused of opening up an unlicensed smoke shop on tribal land from viewing spreadsheets purportedly detailing lost revenues the tribe suffered due to the store's operation, claiming he'll use the information to hurt the tribe's business.
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April 18, 2024
$100M Arbitration Award Restored In Colo. Dispensary Fight
A Colorado appellate panel on Thursday largely reinstated a roughly $100 million arbitration award in a dispute between former business partners in the cannabis dispensary chain Native Roots, finding no basis to conclude the arbitrator was biased.
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April 18, 2024
Pharma Ex-Exec Can't Revive $12M Underpayment Suit in US
A Manhattan federal judge has refused to rethink her decision tossing a $12 million suit accusing Altum Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its cannabis-focused parent company, BetterLife Pharma Inc., of stock dilution and underpaying a former executive chairman of the board of directors, saying the claims are better suited for Canadian courts.
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April 18, 2024
6th Circ. Axes Ex-Perrigo Worker's Drug Test Firing Suit
The Sixth Circuit refused to reinstate a bias suit from a worker who said drugmaker L. Perrigo Co. unlawfully fired him after lip balm caused him to test positive for marijuana, saying he didn't show that age or disability discrimination motivated the decision to let him go.
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April 18, 2024
Missouri AG Launches Probe Into Delta-8 Products
Missouri's Republican attorney general has launched an investigation into four companies purportedly manufacturing or selling vapes and other products containing hemp and marijuana derivatives such as CBD, delta-8 THC and delta-9 THC.
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April 18, 2024
FDA Head Gets GOP Rep.'s Rebuke Over Pot Rescheduling
The Republican chair of a U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday chided the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the agency's recommendation last year to loosen restrictions on marijuana.
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April 17, 2024
Discovery Sanction Too Severe In $1M Vape Case, Panel Says
An Illinois appeals court has found that a default judgment granted against a vape shop accused of causing a customer's burn injuries, which led to a $1 million bench verdict, was too severe of a sanction for defense counsel's failure to timely comply with certain discovery requests.
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April 17, 2024
FDA's Foot-Dragging On Menthol Ban Sparks Frustration
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's yearslong delay to ban menthol has left public health groups frustrated over why the agency has failed to act on what the groups see as an obvious way to improve public health and prevent needless deaths, prompting a second lawsuit over taking menthol off store shelves.
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April 17, 2024
FDA Denies Marketing For 65 MNGO Disposable E-Cigarettes
The latest action by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on e-cigarettes was to tell a Chinese company to take its range of 65 e-cigarette products in a variety of flavors from menthol to pink lemonade and watermelon off the market.
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April 17, 2024
FDA Tells Justices It Has A Better Vape Case In Mind
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has told the U.S. Supreme Court that if it wants to address the agency's decision not to approve applications for flavored e-cigarettes, there is a better case in the pipeline than the appeal lodged by Lotus Vaping Technologies that the justices should choose instead.
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April 17, 2024
Alien Influencer, Ex-Partners Walk Away From IP Row
A Colorado federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a motivational speaker and self-described influencer who claims to have met with extraterrestrial beings known as the "Blue Avians," after the influencer and two former business partners agreed to drop dueling claims over movie projects and business ventures gone awry.
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April 17, 2024
Panel Agrees Pot Investor's Deal In 2017 Suit Nixes 2019 Suit
A Washington state appeals court has thrown out an investor's suit alleging that a cannabis venture failed to follow through on a deal to acquire ownership interest in exchange for a $650,000 investment, finding his settlement of a prior suit block his claims.
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April 16, 2024
Split 5th Circ. Won't Rehear Case Over Agency Protections
A divided Fifth Circuit on Tuesday denied en banc rehearing of a panel decision that likely sets up a U.S. Supreme Court challenge of long-standing limits to the president's power to fire executive branch subordinates.
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April 16, 2024
Wis. Bank Must Face Bias Claims In Tribal Peyote Case
A Wisconsin federal judge ruled Tuesday that a local bank cannot avoid discrimination claims in a suit that accuses it of denying service to Indigenous company Medicine Fireplace, whose members use the psychoactive peyote plant in their religious ceremonies.
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April 16, 2024
Pot Transport Co. Can't Escape Overtime Suit
A company specializing in secure transport of marijuana products didn't show that its drivers engage in interstate commerce and therefore can't escape a driver's misclassification suit seeking unpaid overtime, a Michigan federal judge has ruled.
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April 16, 2024
Ohio County, Town Escape Hemp Stores' Claims Over Raids
An Ohio federal judge has thrown out claims from a group of hemp retailers alleging Greene County and the town of West Carrollton violated their constitutional rights by illegally raiding their properties.
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April 16, 2024
Investors Say Cannabis Group Took $9.1M In Fraud Scheme
Three investors are suing a California-based cannabis company and several affiliates, saying they were induced to invest more than $9.1 million in exchange for ownership shares of dispensaries, but have seen little to no return on their investment while their money was diverted.
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April 15, 2024
Conn. Court Should Allow Award For PTSD Firing, Agency Says
Connecticut's state human rights watchdog has urged a state court to uphold a $62,000 award in favor of a Charter Communications worker who says she was fired because she had post-traumatic stress disorder, arguing that the decision followed sound legal principles and the judicial branch should defer to the agency's ruling.
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April 15, 2024
Calif. Cannabis Co. Stiiizy Sued Over Delta-8 Products
California cannabis giant Stiiizy has been accused of selling products which were touted as federally compliant hemp wares but purportedly had high enough levels of psychoactive THC to qualify as marijuana products, according to a proposed class action in Illinois federal court.
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April 15, 2024
Addiction Recovery Home Says City Seeks Wrongful Eviction
An addiction recovery home is suing the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission in federal court, saying they are wrongly using zoning rules in a bid to evict residents from one of its homes in violation of the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act.
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April 15, 2024
California Judge Fights New Ethics Charges
A California state judge on Friday responded to new ethics charges related to his participation in an online debate from his chambers and comments he made during a court hearing.
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April 12, 2024
DEA Unlawfully Pushing Psychedelics Ban, Researcher Says
A psychedelic research company has asked a Washington federal judge to block the Drug Enforcement Administration from proceeding with its plan to ban two psychedelic substances, saying the agency's process for bringing the matter before an administrative judge has been unlawful.
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April 12, 2024
Mich. Township Wants Suit Over Foiled Pot Dispensary Tossed
A Michigan township is urging a federal court to toss a lawsuit filed by a cannabis entrepreneur and local developers who claim the municipality's leaders blocked them from opening a marijuana dispensary, arguing the court lacks jurisdiction.
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April 12, 2024
Conn. Pot Opponents Can't Sue To Shut Down Legal Sales
An alliance of Stamford, Connecticut, residents cannot sue the city's mayor and zoning board over the approval of local regulations that allow marijuana and cannabis-related businesses, a state court judge has ruled in dismissing a lawsuit that also sought to end legal sales statewide.
Expert Analysis
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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New Calif. Hemp, CBD Rules Affect Nationwide Compliance
Because of its huge market share, it is imperative that operators in every state understand the nuances of California's hemp and CBD regulatory regime, including policies refined over the past year and pending legislation that would allow cannabis licensees to sell, manufacture and distribute hemp and CBD products, say Alexis Lazzeri and Meital Manzuri at Manzuri Law.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats
Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.
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How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
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Why Bankruptcy Is A Budding Alternative For Cannabis Cos.
A set of recent decisions from a California bankruptcy court regarding The Hacienda Co. signal a retreat from a zero-tolerance policy requiring dismissal of any bankruptcy case involving a cannabis-related business, and show why cannabis companies could benefit from having full access to the bankruptcy system, say George Singer and Rachel Gillette at Holland & Hart.
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Potential Outcomes Of High Court Gun Sentencing Case
In Brown v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court will decide the standard that triggers minimum sentencing enhancements for previously convicted people facing new gun charges, thus resolving a deepening circuit split and potentially alleviating some sentencing disparities, says attorney Sami Azhari.
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Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial
Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
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What An NCAA Drug Test Change Could Mean For Cannabis
If the NCAA follows through with its decision to remove cannabis from its banned list of substances, it will affect college athletes, athletic directors, public relations employees, and marketing departments at universities and colleges, and it will have a significant economic effect on the cannabis industry, say Stanley Jutkowitz and Sydney Jenkins at Seyfarth.
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What Marijuana Status Change Would Mean For Industry
If the Drug Enforcement Administration accepts the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recent recommendation to change marijuana’s classification under federal law, it would be a significant regulatory shift that could foster many industry benefits — but questions, risks and uncertainties at both the state and federal levels would remain, say attorneys at Neal Gerber.
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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Series
ESG Around The World: European Union
As the EU makes ESG regulation a priority, companies — both those based in the EU and others just doing business there — need to keep abreast of myriad new legislation that has either already taken effect or will in the near future, as noncompliance could result in fines, damages and director liability, say attorneys at Steptoe & Johnson.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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Issues Ahead As Psychedelic Medicine Faces Pivotal Moment
Recent regulatory changes and decriminalization efforts have opened doors for research and development in psychedelic medicine, but challenges like stigma, access and funding persist, meaning companies will need to address these issues to support the industry’s credibility, say consultants at FTI Consulting.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.