Cannabis

  • March 23, 2026

    Hemp Co. Pans 'Scattershot' Counterclaims In Soured Biz Deal

    A North Carolina industrial hemp distributor has urged a federal judge to toss counterclaims lobbed against it from a state lawmaker's CBD company, alleging that all the fraud claims are too "wide-ranging" and "scatter-shot" to pass muster.

  • March 23, 2026

    Judge Tosses Ex-Director's Suit Against Ore. Pot Commission

    Oregon's liquor and cannabis authority has defeated, for now, a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by its deputy director who was fired in the wake of a liquor scandal, with a federal judge saying the ex-employee's choice to retire doesn't prove the existence of some unwritten separation agreement.

  • March 23, 2026

    Conn. Settles $1M Fee Snafu With Pot Dispensary

    Connecticut's consumer protection agency has agreed to halve a $1 million fee for a marijuana dispensary, reaching a settlement that ends a dispute accusing state officials of missing a number of important deadlines, triggering the fee in the first place.

  • March 23, 2026

    Bipartisan Bill Eyes Boosting Cannabis Business Investment

    Members of Congress have reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would create a safe harbor for state-regulated marijuana businesses to access traditional business services without threat of federal enforcement and potentially be listed on securities exchanges.

  • March 20, 2026

    Feds To Cover Ayahuasca Church's Legal Fees, 9th Circ. Says

    The federal government is on the hook for more than $2 million in attorney fees following a settlement with a Phoenix-based church over its right to use the psychedelic beverage ayahuasca in religious ceremonies, a divided Ninth Circuit panel said in an unpublished opinion Friday.

  • March 20, 2026

    NY Appellate Court Tosses Challenge To Pot Legalization

    New York's intermediate appellate court has upheld the dismissal of a challenge to the state law that legalized adult-use cannabis, saying that legalization was not preempted by federal drug policy.

  • March 20, 2026

    Court Indicates Dormant Commerce Applies To Adult-Use Pot

    A Rhode Island federal judge said Friday she was compelled to find that the U.S. Constitution's dormant commerce clause applied to federally unlawful recreational marijuana in a case challenging the state's plan for awarding retail cannabis licenses.

  • March 20, 2026

    Man Says Marketing, Sales Put Chinese Co. In Court's Reach

    A man suing a Chinese vape manufacturer is pushing back against its efforts to dismiss the suit from North Carolina federal court, arguing that its marketing and sale of vapes in the state put it within the court's jurisdiction.

  • March 19, 2026

    LA Cannabis Shop Fights Shutdown Over $4.9M Tax Bill

    The new manager of a Los Angeles cannabis dispensary is suing state and city agencies in California state court to stop them from shutting down the business over a $4.9 million unpaid tax bill incurred by old management, arguing the agencies are acting arbitrarily and denying the managerial company due process.

  • March 19, 2026

    Legislative Update: Cannabis And Psychedelics Bill Roundup

    Virginia lawmakers last week gave final approval to legislation that would tax and regulate the sale of adult-use cannabis, Georgia legislators passed a dramatic expansion of the state's medical cannabis program, and Iowa lawmakers approved a bill to designate kratom as a Schedule I substance. Here are the major moves in cannabis and psychedelics legislation from the past week.

  • March 19, 2026

    Stiiiizy Alleges Retailer Owes $1.2M On Contract

    Cannabis companies behind the Stiiizy brand are suing a San Diego-based retailer seeking $1.26 million, claiming in a state court lawsuit that they gave inventory and payroll funding, but the shop operator never paid it back.

  • March 18, 2026

    Judge Preserves CBD Co.'s Contract Breach Spat

    A hemp and CBD company run by North Carolina State Rep. John Bell won't get a default win on its $1.6 million counterclaim against Texas-based ex-business partners who accused it of stealing trade secrets and using political connections to threaten their executives with jail time, a North Carolina federal judge has ruled.

  • March 18, 2026

    ADA Challenge to Oregon Psilocybin Law Can Proceed

    An Oregon federal judge Tuesday rejected the state's health regulator's bid for a favorable judgment in a suit brought under federal antidiscrimination law, seeking to broaden access for homebound patients to the state's regulated psilocybin program.

  • March 18, 2026

    9th Circ. Urged To Rehear Cannabis Dormant Commerce Case

    A California attorney who has challenged cannabis social equity programs in numerous jurisdictions asked the entire Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to reconsider whether the U.S. Constitution's dormant commerce clause applies to federally illegal marijuana.

  • March 18, 2026

    FDA Can't 'Refuse To File' Tobacco Applications, Suit Says

    The maker and a seller of Zone nicotine pouches are suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Texas federal court, alleging the agency stalled and eventually refused to file their marketing application, despite federal law requiring the FDA to either approve or deny such applications.

  • March 18, 2026

    Illinois Court Rejects Challenge To Chicago Dispensary Permit

    An Illinois appeals court has rejected a neighbors group's challenge to a special-use permit granted to a Chicago dispensary, finding that a lower court correctly found that the group lacked standing to challenge the zoning board's decision.

  • March 17, 2026

    Pot Co. Escapes Potency Suit, Judge Warns Plaintiff Firm

    MariMed and other cannabis companies beat claims they intentionally mislabeled their products to sidestep Illinois THC potency limits, with a federal judge highlighting the string of consumer-led suit losses and warning counsel to "heed the strong and universal concerns about the plausibility of their legal theories."

  • March 17, 2026

    Texas Man Asks Justices To Undo Samsung Battery Suit Win

    A man who claims a Samsung SDI Co. Ltd. battery exploded in his pocket is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to revive his case, arguing the Fifth Circuit wrongly applied an exception that allows companies to evade jurisdiction in states where they do business by claiming they marketed the products to manufacturers, not consumers.

  • March 17, 2026

    Mich. Judge Denies SEC Win On Crowdfund Fraud, Urges Deal

    A Michigan federal judge Tuesday shot down the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's bid for summary judgment against a man the agency accused of orchestrating a $2 million cannabis crowdfunding fraud, finding the case might be better suited for settlement talks.

  • March 17, 2026

    Feds Aim To End Suit Over Cannabis Use Questions

    The U.S. Department of Defense has asked a federal judge to toss a challenge brought by a former defense contractor who alleged his constitutional rights were violated when he lost his employment following his refusal to answer questions about his past cannabis use.

  • March 17, 2026

    Jushi, Ex-COO Settle Whistleblower Retaliation Suit

    A former Jushi Holdings Inc. executive who claimed a cannabis company fired him in retaliation for compliance with safety standards told a Florida federal court he has settled his suit.

  • March 17, 2026

    Chicago Cannabis Workers Ratify Teamsters Contract

    Employees working for Chicago's first medical cannabis dispensary and represented by a Teamsters local have ratified a five-year collective bargaining agreement with the business, the union announced.

  • March 16, 2026

    Pregnant Worker Fired After Harassment Complaint, Suit Says

    An ex-employee of a Seattle cannabis shop has filed a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit against the company, alleging she was fired after complaining about a co-worker's inappropriate comments and the store's illegal sales to minors.

  • March 16, 2026

    Cannabis Biz' Ex-CFO To Pay SEC $1M To End Fraud Claims

    The former chief financial officer of a cannabis cultivator and distributor has agreed to pay nearly $1.1 million to settle out of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations the business raised over $30 million from more than 100 investors on the strength of "wildly inflated financial information."

  • March 16, 2026

    Pa. Appeals Court Reinstates Kratom And Caffeine DUI Charge

    A man charged with driving under the influence and other offenses after using caffeine and the herbal stimulant kratom cannot argue his case should be dismissed since he wasn't using controlled substances, the Pennsylvania Superior Court said Monday, reversing a lower court.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Texas, One Year In

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    A year after the Texas Business Court's first decision, it's clear that Texas didn't just copy Delaware and instead built something uniquely its own, combining specialization with constitutional accountability and creating a model that looks forward without losing touch with the state's democratic and statutory roots, says Chris Bankler at Jackson Walker.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

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    Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

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    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

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    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Series

    Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Client Service

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    Law school teaches you how to interpret the law, but it doesn't teach you some of the key ways to keeping clients satisfied, lessons that I've learned in the most unexpected of places: a book on how to be a butler, says Gregory Ramos at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 3 Tips On Finding The Right Job

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    After 23 years as a state and federal prosecutor, when I contemplated moving to a law firm, practicing solo or going in-house, I found there's a critical first step — deep self-reflection on what you truly want to do and where your strengths lie, says Rachael Jones at McKool Smith.

  • Series

    Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Painting trains me to see both the fine detail and the whole composition at once, enabling me to identify friction points while keeping sight of a client's bigger vision, but the most significant lesson I've brought to my legal work has been the value of originality, says Jana Gouchev at Gouchev Law.

  • Protecting Sensitive Court Filings After Recent Cyber Breach

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    In the wake of a recent cyberattack on federal courts' Case Management/Electronic Case Files system, civil litigants should consider seeking enhanced protections for sensitive materials filed under seal to mitigate the risk of unauthorized exposure, say attorneys at Redgrave.

  • Series

    Judging Figure Skating Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Judging figure skating competitions helps me hone the focus, decisiveness and ability to process complex real-time information I need in court, but more importantly, it makes me reengage with a community and my identity outside of law, which, paradoxically, always brings me back to work feeling restored, says Megan Raymond at Groombridge Wu.

  • What Ethics Rules Say On Atty Discipline For Online Speech

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    Though law firms are free to discipline employees for their online commentary about Charlie Kirk or other social media activity, saying crude or insensitive things on the internet generally doesn’t subject attorneys to professional discipline under the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, says Stacie H. Rosenzweig at Halling & Cayo.

  • Junior Attys Must Beware Of 5 Common Legal Brief Mistakes

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Junior law firm associates must be careful to avoid five common pitfalls when drafting legal briefs — from including every possible argument to not developing a theme — to build the reputation of a sought-after litigator, says James Argionis at Cozen O'Connor.

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