• Home
  • About This Blog
  • White and Williams LLP
    • Corporate and Securities
    • Commercial Litigation
    • Cyber Law and Data Protection
    • Finance
    • Financial Lines
    • Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy
    • Intellectual Property
    • Labor and Employment
    • Real Estate
    • Tax and Estates
  • Subscribe
Taking Care of BusinessTaking Care of Business
  • Home
  • About This Blog
  • White and Williams LLP
    • Corporate and Securities
    • Commercial Litigation
    • Cyber Law and Data Protection
    • Finance
    • Financial Lines
    • Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy
    • Intellectual Property
    • Labor and Employment
    • Real Estate
    • Tax and Estates
  • Subscribe
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019

Dec 8, 2020

By: Christopher Wisniewski and Ryan J. Udell

In a first for Congress, on December 4, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 (MORE Act) by a vote of 228-164. The MORE Act effectively legalizes cannabis by requiring it to be removed from the list of scheduled drugs under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA). (more…)

Update on Cannabis Reform Introduced as a Response to the COVID-19 Crisis

Update on Cannabis Reform Introduced as a Response to the COVID-19 Crisis

Oct 19, 2020

By: Christopher Wisniewski and Ryan J. Udell

On September 28, 2020, House democrats released an updated version of the Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (the HEROES Act) to address needs that have developed since its introduction on May 15, 2020. The updated version continues to include cannabis reform in the form of reintroducing the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act (the SAFE Act), with the purpose “to increase public safety by ensuring access to financial services to cannabis-related legitimate businesses and service providers and reducing the amount of cash at such business.” As with the introduction, the same ambiguities, problems and hurdles to Senate approval still exist as identified in our June 18, 2020 post, and passage appears unlikely.

(more…)

Cannabis Reform Introduced as a Response to the COVID-19 Crisis

Cannabis Reform Introduced as a Response to the COVID-19 Crisis

Jun 18, 2020

By: Christopher Wisniewski and Ryan J. Udell

On May 15, 2020, the House of Representatives passed the Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. Coming in at over 1,800 pages, there are sure to be a few surprises tucked into such a massive piece of legislation. One such financial services component is the reintroduction of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act. Ostensibly, as a response to the COVID-19 crisis, the stated purpose of the SAFE Banking Act is to “increase public safety by ensuring access to financial services to cannabis-related legitimate businesses and service providers and reducing the amount of cash at such businesses.” (more…)

Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds: FDA Announces Public Hearing and TTB Issues Industry Circular

Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds: FDA Announces Public Hearing and TTB Issues Industry Circular

May 31, 2019

By: Ryan Udell and William L. Doerler

In late 2018, President Trump formally signed the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) into law, and in turn declassified hemp as a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Hemp is defined, in part, as the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. Thus, cannabis plants and derivatives that contain no more than 0.3 percent THC – the ingredient attributed with marijuana’s psychoactive effects – are no longer controlled substances under Federal law. The change in the law renewed interest in developing and marketing products containing cannabis and cannabis-derived products, including products containing hemp and cannabidiol (CBD), another cannabis component. (more…)

PA Green Lights Dry Leaf Cannabis and Other Updates to Medical Marijuana Laws

PA Green Lights Dry Leaf Cannabis and Other Updates to Medical Marijuana Laws

Apr 25, 2018

By: Ryan Udell and Melissa Pang

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine approved a recommendation from the state medical marijuana advisory board to allow the sale of whole-plant cannabis (dry leaf and flower) for medical purposes in Pennsylvania at an April 16, 2018 Harrisburg news conference. Previously, Pennsylvania permitted only the sale of oils, extracts, pills, and tinctures. Dry leaf, which requires no processing and is easier and cheaper to produce, will be available in dispensaries later this summer, according to Dr. Levine. This new development should reduce the cost of treatment and increase access to patients who have been facing shortages since dispensaries opened in February. Pennsylvania law still forbids patients from smoking or consuming marijuana in edible form and prohibits dispensaries from selling pipes, bongs, and rolling papers, permitting the sale of dry leaf medical marijuana only for vaporization through vaporizers and other devices. (more…)

McConnell Set to Propose Legislation to Legalize Industrial Hemp

McConnell Set to Propose Legislation to Legalize Industrial Hemp

Apr 9, 2018

By: Ryan Udell and Michael Psathas

United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced that he would introduce legislation that would legalize hemp as an agriculture product. The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 would essentially remove hemp from a list of controlled substances that are prohibited under federal law. According to Majority Leader McConnell, his legislation would remove federal barriers to expand domestic production of hemp and provide hemp researchers access to federal grants from the US Department of Agriculture. (more…)

Not So Fast! How Many Signatures Does it Take to Create a Binding Contract?

Not So Fast! How Many Signatures Does it Take to Create a Binding Contract?

Dec 1, 2017

By: Josh Galante

Attorneys and their clients often refer to a contract becoming enforceable once it has been “fully executed,” but what does that phrase actually mean? Like most legal questions, the short answer is: “It depends.” It depends on several factors, including the type of contract, the parties involved, the course of dealing between those parties, and other facts and circumstances.

(more…)

Recent Posts

  • Corporate Transparency Act and Implications for Entity Formation and Transaction Structures
  • Nasdaq’s Giant Leap Towards Diversity on the Board
  • The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019
  • IRS to Allow “Workaround” to Deduction Limits for State and Local Income Taxes
  • Finders May Finally Be Keepers: SEC Proposes Rules Allowing for Unregistered Broker-Dealers to Participate in Capital-Raising Transactions Under Certain Circumstances

Disclaimer: The information on this site does not convey legal advice of any kind. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.You should contact a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Your use of this site does not create a lawyer-client relationship between you and White and Williams LLP nor will any information you submit to us via this site or by email be considered a lawyer-client communication or otherwise be treated as privileged in the absence of a pre-existing express agreement by White and Williams to the contrary. The opinions expressed at or through this site are the opinions of the individual author and may not reflect the opinions of the firm. The content of this site may be considered advertising under applicable laws and ethical rules. © White and Williams LLP,