Blog

McAllister Garfield Statement on COVID-19

Friends, The effects of the COVID-19 (corona virus) pandemic are coming into focus and the impacts for the cannabis industry are striking and potentially severe. In response to this public health crisis, here are some announcements and observations from the Firm. 1. The Firm is no longer meeting in person, either inside or outside the […]

Interview with Sean McAllister Regarding Federal Investigation in CA

Friends, This week, it was revealed that the US Attorney in the Eastern District of California has issued subpoenas to numerous operators in California, with a focus on the activities of Weedmaps. Weedmaps has been advertising unlicensed cannabis shops in California for several years now and it appears the federal government is taking an interest […]

California Changes to Consumer Privacy Data Will Affect All Cannabis Businesses Dealing With California Residents

The rules have changed in California concerning how and when you can use customer data, and the impact will be felt in many industries across the country, including the cannabis and hemp industries.  On January 1, 2020, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”) became law and affects businesses operating in California and businesses […]

Victory for Elbert County Hemp Farmers

Friends, In 2020, McAllister Garfield attorneys successfully defended hemp farmers in Elbert County Colorado from an overly burdensome hemp regulation that would have charged thousands of dollars in fees for county hemp cultivation permits, putting dozens of small hemp farms out of business. Late last year Elbert County, Colorado announced a proposed hemp ordinance which […]

Psychedelic Liberty Summit

Friends, Sean McAllister has expanded his practice to another cutting edge drug policy reform issue: decriminalization and ultimately legalization and regulation of psilocybin mushrooms (aka magic mushrooms). The city of Denver decriminalized psilocybin mushrooms in May 2019 and Sean was recently appointed to the Denver Mayor’s Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel. In addition, Sean is […]

Major Changes Coming to CA Cannabis Market Under Gov. Newsom’s Budget

Friends, California Governor Newsom announced his proposed budget for the coming year, which included some important developments for the cannabis industry. 1.      The Governor has proposed consolidating the three cannabis licensing agencies into one new agency under a new Department of Cannabis Control by 2021. This will lead to significant regulatory simplification of the licensing process […]

Overview of Psychedelic Mushroom Initiatives

Friends, Sean McAllister has expanded his groundbreaking work from cannabis to include the emerging issues around psychedelic mushrooms or psilocybin. Sean is General Counsel to the Denver campaign that decriminalized psilocybin mushrooms last year and he has been appointed by the Mayor of Denver to the Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel working on the implementation […]

National Vaping Crisis Update

Friends, On November 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report identifying vitamin E acetate, sometimes used as a thickening agent in vaping products, as the likely culprit in the recent vaping outbreak.  As of November 13th, the CDC identified 2,172 cases of vaping product associated lung injury in 49 states […]

McAllister Garfield invites you to a free webinar

USDA Hemp Rules: Impacts and Analysis, Q&A This one-hour webinar will present an overview of the USDA’s Interim Final Rule for Establishment of a Domestic Hemp Production Program and will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the rule’s impact on the hemp industry. McAllister Garfield hemp chair David Wunderlich will offer a summary and analysis […]

Nearly 400 CA Marijuana Business Licenses Suspended

Friends, Yesterday, news broke that the California Bureau of Cannabis Control suspended nearly 400 marijuana business licenses based mostly on the lack of utilization of the track and trace system in CA, Metrc. Any company that received a provisional license was required to sign up for Metrc within five days of getting the license and […]