Legal Issues

The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that some cannabis distribution convictions are eligible for expungement under the state’s adult-use legalization law.

A U.S. magistrate judge has tossed the class action lawsuit brought by several Humboldt County landowners who claimed they were wrongfully fined by the county for growing cannabis without a permit.

A lawsuit filed in federal court by an Arkansas medical cannabis patient alleges that the state’s cannabis testing labs are inflating THC levels in cannabis products in order to inflate prices.

Cookies CEO Berner responded to a recent lawsuit targeting himself and several other Cookies executives, calling the allegations — which accuse the company’s leadership of “pervasive self-dealing” and allege a pattern of personal benefits and kickbacks — “extremely false, harmful damaging claims.”

Curaleaf chairman Boris Jordan said the company will use “any legal means necessary” to “ensure renewal” of its New Jersey adult-use license; the license is set to expire this Friday after regulators declined its renewal.

Another federal judge ruled last week that the federal ban on cannabis consumers possessing firearms is unconstitutional.

A Florida doctor is suing the Department of Health and two investigators who posed as patients for a medical cannabis sting operation that officials tried, and failed, to use to strip him of his medical license.

South Dakota-based 605 Cannabis is suing the state’s Department of Health, alleging regulatory overreach and the improper issuance of violations leading to more than $1 million worth of damages.

A New York Appeals Court judge this week narrowed the injunction blocking the licensing of cannabis dispensaries. The move will let the licensing process move forward except in the state’s Finger Lakes region.

The Attorney General of Connecticut is suing five retailers over the illegal sale of delta-8 THC products that mimic child-friendly products.

Regulators in Vermont are investigating links between Roman Abramovich, a Russian oligarch, and cannabis MSO Curaleaf.

The Oklahoma Attorney General’s office is taking over the prosecution of an attorney accused of helping nearly 400 illegal cannabis cultivation businesses via a so-called “ghost owner” scheme.

Rolling paper maker Republic Brands won a permanent injunction in federal court against HBI International, the maker of RAW® Organic Hemp rolling papers, which prohibits HBI from selling certain products and making certain promotional statements.

The New York City Police Department filed lawsuits on Tuesday aiming to shut down four companies that the police claim have been illegally selling cannabis products in Manhattan.

The head of a Washington, D.C. cannabis delivery company pleaded guilty this week to federal money laundering charges related to about $3.5 million worth of unregulated cannabis sales.

The Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled that using medical cannabis under the care of a physician while pregnant is not considered child neglect.

Police in Hays, Kansas recently raided the hospital room of a terminally ill cancer patient, confiscating a THC-infused edible paste and vaping device said to contain cannabinoids. The patient was given a ticket and court summons but law enforcement later dropped the charges.

The Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board announced it is suspending the license of Port Angeles-based Dank Inc., claiming to have discovered “untagged” plants, evidence of potential cannabis product diversion, and other violations of state law.

Canadian prosecutors have moved to withdraw all charges against three former executives for CannTrust, the beleaguered cannabis giant that was sunk by accusations of unlicensed cannabis cultivation.

The California cannabis brand Kushy Punch received a $128 million fine this week related to the alleged illegal production of millions of cannabis gummies. It is thought to be the state’s largest cannabis fine ever.

The Blacklist, a notoriously anonymous cannabis industry publication, has become embroiled in a series of lawsuits that is bringing its owner and longtime operators into the public spotlight, unraveling the brand’s anonymity.

Shane Pennington is the New York-based counsel for Vicente Sederberg LLP, a national cannabis law firm that represents cannabis industry clients and works on state and local cannabis policy reform.