by Brandon Moore, Phenominal Consulting

The Department of Cannabis Control publishes every recall and every enforcement action it issues on two public web pages.¹ No login, no records request, no fee. Anyone can read them, search them by license number, and walk the entire history. Almost nobody in the industry does.

That is the strange part. For the operator named in a recall, those pages are the worst day of the quarter. For everyone else, the same pages are the regulator quietly telling you, in advance, where it has been looking and what it has been finding.…

By Ed Rosenthal

Introduction: Returning To India With Purpose

 When I first visited India in 1981, cannabis cultivation was still legal in certain regions. During that trip, I photographed a large, government-regulated ganja farm—an experience that left a lasting impression. The plants were grown openly, harvested responsibly, and taxed by the state.

Today, cultivation is no longer legal anywhere in India. Yet cannabis remains widely available throughout the country—typically of poor quality, harvested prematurely before flowering, and sold through unregulated channels.…

by Green Life Business Group®, Inc.

Winning a cannabis license can feel like the hardest part: months (sometimes years) of applications, capital outlays, community positioning, and regulatory scrutiny distilled into a single approval. In limited-license states, that approval is scarce by design. It carries value the moment it’s issued.

But a license is not yet a business. It’s a permission slip with a timeline, and the next choice you make (build it out or sell it now) will largely determine whether you capture a quick premium or create a larger, more durable asset.…

By Thomas Andersen, BTA Cannabis CPA Tax

The new tariffs have undoubtedly hurt the cannabis industry when it comes to manufacturing, packaging materials, and finished goods. However, as Q3 unfolds, we’re also seeing how tariffs have, perhaps surprisingly, been beneficial to other aspects of the cannabis industry — namely, the infused-beverage sector. Other developments include ever-evolving consumer tastes — and as always, state policies are keeping many in the industry guessing.

Hemp-Derived Beverages Surge as Alcohol Tariffs Bite

A defining trend this quarter is the rapid growth of hemp-derived beverages, propelled by steep tariffs on imported alcohol.…

By Kate Dymedenko, CPA, CTC Growise CPAs

Section 280E of the federal tax code looms over American cannabis operators like a dark cloud, severely impacting profitability in an already challenged regulatory landscape. But we’re not here to tell you about things you already know. You might not be aware that 280E does not apply at the state level in California (and some other states), so you can deduct all business expenses and potentially save a bundle on this year’s tax filing.…

C.D. Michel, Michel & Associates, P.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 2026 Update Available: What the New US Supreme Court Decision Means for Marijuana Users Who Want to Possess Guns

INTRODUCTION

In our 2021 article for California NORML, we discussed how federal gun laws intersect with California’s and other states legalization of recreational marijuana use. In that article, we examined Ninth Circuit authority holding that federal law makes it illegal for all marijuana users to possess a firearm.…

Ron Naulls, Naulls Legal Group

There are clear signs that the macroeconomic environment is causing some financial tightening across the board, and the cannabis industry is not immune. The uncertain times and challenging environment (i.e., lack of access to capital, taxation, regulation/compliance, the illicit market, inflation, and other macroeconomic issues like geopolitical tensions) add to the perfect storm. They are causing the industry to face a cash crunch.

Sticks and stones break bones, but there is a better way to get that pay!…

July 2026 Update Available: What the New US Supreme Court Decision Means for Marijuana Users Who Want to Possess Guns

Marijuana Use and Firearms Possession

Are the Times A-Changin?

C.D. Michel, Michel & Associates, P.C.

INTRODUCTION

In our 2021 article for California NORML, we discussed how federal gun laws intersect with California’s legalization of recreational marijuana use. In that article, we examined Ninth Circuit authority holding that federal law makes it illegal for all marijuana users to possess a firearm.

Since then, however, Second Amendment rights jurisprudence has developed rapidly.…

By Arbana Lika and Hannah Stitt, Tectonic, LLP

Ideas, inventions, processes, original works of authorship and trademarks are eligible for protection through the United States government – even for cannabis industry operators! In this blog, we focus on trademark rights and how trademark applications for cannabis goods and services are treated.

WHERE THE LAW CURRENTLY STANDS

Trademark rights begin to accrue under California common law wherever a business sells goods or services on a county by county basis. If, for example, a company named “ABC Delivery Service” makes sales in San Francisco, San Mateo and Los Angeles counties under the trademark “Indicativa Delivery”, then that business is accumulating rights in each of those counties.…

By David Hua, Meadow

As of January 1, 2023, the state of California will require several changes from its cannabis supply chain in response to the adoption of the Department of Cannabis Control’s (DCC) new consolidated regulations and passage of AB-195. These changes include updates to the calculation and point of excise tax collection, delivery trunk limits, making curbside pickup permanent, new inventory discrepancy thresholds, increased restrictions on providing non-cannabis goods for free as part of a business promotion, as well as allowing retailers (with local jurisdiction approval) to sell prepackaged non-cannabis infused and non-alcoholic food and beverages.

…

By Oaksterdam University

Cultivating cannabis is a rewarding hobby, which is why approximately 6% of consumers in the United States grow their own, and that number continues to rise. The overwhelming majority of home growers— 70% percent — say they grow simply because they enjoy it.

In addition to growing for pleasure, there are other reasons people start personal gardens. According to a recent survey by New Frontiers Data, home growers report that it’s more convenient, less expensive, and higher quality than purchasing cannabis at a dispensary.…

• By Marijuana Packaging

With the new year ramping up and cannabis laws sometimes changing so fluidly, it’s crucial to ensure that your business is compliant with California cannabis law. Whether it’s distributing flowers, concentrates, or edibles, each item has its own set of requirements that marijuana businesses must adhere to; to avoid significant penalties.

To help keep you compliant with the weed laws in California, we’ve come up with a survival guide below to help navigate through all the state’s requirements so your business can continue to thrive.…

MjSeo Agency

Let’s remember: the main page is the “face” of the site, and it should be in order since it is the beginning of the user’s acquaintance with the company. Most often, visitors come here from search engines. Here is the largest percentage of external links, and it distributes the link mass in favor of other pages of the resource.

In SEO optimization of the main page (and other pages), technical factors, semantics, linking, and much more are crucial. But its special role within the cannabis online store makes its adjustments to the optimization process.…

July 2026 Update Available: What the New US Supreme Court Decision Means for Marijuana Users Who Want to Possess Guns

By C.D. Michel, Attorney at Law

June 2023 – Read the updated post Marijuana Use and Firearms Possession: Are the Times A-Changin? 

March 1, 2021 – Cal NORML receives lots of questions about firearms possession and the changes to California law allowing the recreational use of marijuana. Be careful! Under California law, any use of marijuana triggers a prohibition on firearm ownership and/or possession, despite California state allowing its recreational use.…

By David Hua, CEO and Co-Founder of Meadow

Raising capital has been a huge hurdle for many Black and Brown-owned businesses, and it’s one of the reasons the promises of social equity programs have yet to be fully realized. In an effort to level the playing field and streamline early-stage financing for social equity cannabis businesses, my team at Meadow, in collaboration with legal teams at Mayfield Venture Law, Leland, Parachini, Steinberg, Matzger & Melnick LLP, Clark Howell, and Greenbridge Corporate Counsel created an open-source compliant safe (simple agreement for future equity) to help the cannabis industry find cheaper money and have more opportunities to compete.…

By Lauren Mendelsohn, Esq.
[email protected]

If 2020 has taught Californians anything, it’s the importance of being prepared for and knowing how to respond to disasters and unexpected events. How can cannabis companies prepare for and respond to emergencies like wildfires, power outages, earthquakes, and infectious disease outbreaks? This blog post aims to provide some guidance in this area.

Have Written Emergency Plans Ready

All employers in California, including cannabis businesses, must prepare, maintain and implement a number of written plans that lay out the company’s protocols for responding to emergencies.…