Turning Insight Into Action
DEA Advances Marijuana Rescheduling; Senators Propose Descheduling
Advocates of marijuana reform and those seeking an end to marijuana prohibition received welcome news this week. Yesterday (April 30, 2024), The Associated Press reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration will move forward with reclassifying marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the…
Issue 2 and Social Equity
Marijuana laws have been enforced in a discriminatory manner against people of color in the United States. Despite similar usage rates across races, Black people are almost four times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession nationwide. Legalizing marijuana without…
Ohio Voters Decisively Pass Issue 2 to Legalize Adult Use Marijuana in the Buckeye State
On Tuesday, November 7, Ohio voters passed Issue 2 by a sweeping 14-point margin to legalize marijuana for adult use in the Buckeye State. Ohio will now become the 24th state in the country to regulate adult use marijuana, and marks the tipping point where now more…
Historic Recommendation by HHS to Reschedule Marijuana to Schedule III
In a momentous announcement, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) has recommended that marijuana be rescheduled from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (the “CSA”). Schedule I is the most restricted tier under the CSA and includes…
What Does A Change in Senate Control Mean for Ohio’s Marijuana Laws?
With 2020 in the rearview mirror and much of the country suffering from election season fatigue, many people were not following yesterday’s special election in Georgia. However, with control of the United States Senate hanging in the balance, the results of the election have…
The “Illegality Defense” in Cannabis Contracts
In recent years, courts across the country are sending mixed signals as to whether the “illegal contract” or “illegality” defense prevents the enforcement of cannabis contracts. The inconsistencies among courts present significant hurdles for investors and distributors who cannot be certain any contract will…
Frantz Ward Client Obtains Favorable Ruling in Dispensary License Litigation
An Ohio judge ordered the Board of Pharmacy to reconsider its denial of a provisional dispensary license to Frantz Ward’s client, Pure Ohio Wellness, LLC. Pure Ohio was the highest-scoring dispensary applicant in the state’s Southwest-7 District, which includes Fayette, Madison, and Greene counties….
Company Faces RICO Lawsuit Over “Falsely Advertised” CBD Product after Employee Tests Positive for THC and Loses his Job
Public support for cannabis reform – whether to legalize medical or adult use marijuana or hemp and hemp-derived products – is at an all-time high. While marijuana reform is moving slowly at the federal level, the federal government legalized hemp and its derivatives as…
Attorney Tom Haren Quoted in Crain’s Cleveland Business Article
“Marijuana’s Branding Problem” Crain’s Cleveland Business October 12, 2019 Excerpt from the article: “As markets continue to expand and new companies enter different markets, you want to be able to distinguish yourself in the marketplace, and the ability to brand a product is one…
Class Actions Come for Cannabis
The cannabis industry in the United States is relatively new. But a series of class actions filed within the last month alleging deceptive labelling of cannabidiol (“CBD”) products demonstrate that some of the legal issues the industry faces are not. The first case, Gaddis…