Legal Issues

A former executive vice president at Chicago-based cannabis company Verano was recently indicted in federal court for insider trading.

Minnesota officials fined four businesses $10,000 each last year in civil penalties related to illegal cannabis.

A New York Supreme Court Judge has ruled that the New York City Sheriff’s Office and the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) must stop conducting warrantless raids on unlicensed cannabis shops.

Hightimes Holding Corp. chairman Adam Levin has agreed to plead guilty to securities fraud charges involving undisclosed payments to promote the company’s stock. According to the charges, Levin participated in a scheme to pay over $150,000 to an investment newsletter analyst who promoted the stock without disclosing the compensation.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has reaffirmed that the federal prosecution of Patrick Darnell Daniels Jr. for illegally possessing a firearm while having also consumed cannabis was a violation of his Second Amendment rights.

Cannabis reform proponents have again requested the removal of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from the rescheduling hearing coming later this month, citing new evidence the agency might seek to “subvert the process” and “thwart” the rescheduling process.

The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals confirmed that Alabama regulators had “properly exercised” their power when rescinding medical cannabis licenses awarded under the state’s initial cannabis licensing round.

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld a judge’s ruling that the state can prohibit a state-registered cannabis patient from participating in the medical cannabis program if they are on probation.

A Florida judge this week ruled in favor of a paramedic who sued his former employer for wrongful termination after being fired for testing positive for THC on a random drug test, despite being a registered cannabis patient with a state-issued medical ID.

One of the plaintiffs in the recently dismissed lawsuit that aimed to invalidate the petitions behind Nebraska’s successful medical cannabis legalization effort has filed another suit seeking to block the reforms.

A federal appeals court has upheld Mississippi’s ban on advertising medical cannabis products, concluding that the restriction does not violate the First Amendment.

The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office appears to be setting up to appeal the recent dismissal of a lawsuit brought against two successful medical cannabis initiatives that state voters overwhelmingly approved last month.

A Nebraska judge last week dropped all charges against a notary public caught up in an ongoing legal challenge against the medical cannabis ballot initiatives approved by voters earlier this month.

An appellate judges panel in Missouri recently ruled that local governments cannot stack cannabis sales taxes, overturning a lower court’s decision from May.

Colorado-based Bee’s Knees CBDs has agreed to pay the state attorney general a $225,000 settlement after an investigation found the company had misrepresented its product offerings, claimed false partnerships with nonprofits, and failed to verify customers’ ages.

Seven cannabis transportation companies in Illinois are suing the state Department of Agriculture claiming the agency’s licensing process favors larger, white- and male-owned companies.

A chief administrative law judge ruled Thursday to delay the DEA’s hearing for expert testimony on the rescheduling of cannabis under federal law until likely January or February 2025.

The owner of a Texas smoke shop was awarded a settlement of $80,000 from the Garza County Sheriff’s Office and the city of Post following an “illegal” raid in February that seized more than $20,000 worth of legal hemp products.

The trial over Nebraska’s two medical cannabis ballot initiatives began Tuesday after state officials challenged the proposals’ signature-gathering process. The initiatives, which together seek to legalize medical cannabis, will remain on state ballots but, depending on the trial, could be invalidated even if approved by voters.

A Queens County Superior Court judge has ruled that the New York City law enabling local law enforcement to crack down on unlicensed cannabis sales is unconstitutional because it violates the shop owners’ right to due process.

A Montgomery Circuit judge in Alabama has appointed a mediator to help resolve the legal dispute over the state’s attempts to license integrated operators for its long-embattled medical cannabis program.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over whether a truck driver who was fired for failing a drug test after using a CBD product advertised as containing no THC can sue the manufacturer under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

A California judge last week ruled that the state’s emergency regulations restricting the sale of intoxicating hemp products can continue, blocking a legal challenge brought by hemp companies.