Shay to Speak at November 3 Alameda County Bar Association Panel

As part of its Barristers Career Series for new lawyers, the Alameda County Bar Association will bring together Northern California legal practitioners on November 3 at 5 p.m. for a panel to discuss what it’s like to practice law in different kinds of law offices or as a solo practitioner, how to succeed as a […]

Owners, Financial Interests, Ownership Changes, & “Organic” Ingredients

The California Department of Cannabis Control has finalized its Consolidated Regulations, which can be found here. This blog post takes a look at Sections 15003 (Owners), 15004 (Financial Interest), 15023(c) (Changes in Ownership), and 17408 (Labeling Restrictions), how these regulations compare with their predecessor regulations, and considers the impacts of these regulatory changes. SECTIONS 15003 […]

Federal Cannabis Plant Seizures and Arrests Increased in 2020

According to data published by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, federal law enforcement agents and their partners seized approximately 4.54 million cannabis plants in 2020 – a nearly 20 percent increase over 2019’s totals. Law enforcement also reported 4,992 marijuana-related arrests, up slightly from 2019 (when agents reported 4,718 arrests). The overwhelming majority of plant […]

Shay Will Speak at June 22 Cannabis Law Panel

On June 22, 2021, Shay will join colleagues Katy Young and Lara DeCaro on a CLE panel, organized by the Santa Clara County Bar Association Real Property & Business Law Section, to discuss statutory and regulatory developments for, as well as corporate and commercial legal issues impacting, cannabis operators. Topics will include recent statutes and […]

Fort Bragg Upgrades Its Cannabis Law

The Fort Bragg City Council recently voted to bring its cannabis ordinance, as expressed in Fort Bragg Municipal Code 9.30.10, in line with less-restrictive state-level requirements for cannabis operator employees, while also updating and streamlining the City’s cannabis business license application process. Fort Bragg has not yet finalized an updated cultivation ordinance for in-city grows, […]

San Francisco Mayor Announces Legislation to Bolster Equity Program

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has announced legislation intended to bolster San Francisco’s cannabis equity program and further support cannabis business owners through a combination of permit processing prioritization, a shortening of the time period for a transfer of more than a 50% ownership interest in a cannabis business from ten years to five years, […]

Cannabis Law Reformer Rob Bonta Picked for California Attorney General

Governor Newsom has nominated Assemblymember Rob Bonta, a leader on cannabis law reform, to become California’s first Filipino-American Attorney General. Assemblymember Bonta has championed legislation to reform California’s criminal justice system and to protect the employment rights of medicinal cannabis users. Coming the same week as the California Supreme Court’s unanimous In re Humphrey decision, […]

In 2020 Indoor Held 11% of California’s Cultivation Licenses

The California Department of Food and Agriculture released a graphic about cannabis cultivation in 2020 as part of a “This Is California Cannabis” outreach campaign (in English and Spanish) to “raise awareness of the support and guidance offered to licensed cannabis growers by CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing.” The graphic shows that of nearly 6000 cannabis cultivation […]

Governor Newsom Proposes 2021 Budget for Cannabis

Amid $1 Billion in 2020 Cannabis Tax Revenue, Governor Newsom has proposed state regulatory consolidation, permanent social equity funding, and an unchanged tax rate for cannabis in his 2021 Budget.