Cannabis

  • April 21, 2026

    Feds Say Pot Foes Lack Standing To Stop CMS Hemp Program

    Federal health regulators have told a D.C. federal judge that anti-pot advocates' attempt to block a program to ease access for Medicare beneficiaries to federally legal hemp products that have small amounts of THC was not bolstered by the addition of a pharmaceutical company as a co-plaintiff.

  • April 21, 2026

    Lender Asks If Weed Co. Cash-Seizure Ban Applies At Maturity

    A lender has asked a New Jersey federal court whether an order that blocked it from seizing a cannabis company's assets or cash amid a dispute over whether the company defaulted on loans applies to any default over the failure to pay the principal and interest due at maturity.

  • April 21, 2026

    Pot Management Co. Says It's Allowed Biz Tax Deduction

    A California-based management company linked to cannabis operations is challenging the IRS over a $4.2 million tax bill, according to a U.S. Tax Court petition, arguing that the company does not traffic in controlled substances that would otherwise bar it from claiming business deductions.

  • April 20, 2026

    Philip Morris Unfairly Gains From Label Ruling, 11th Circ. Told

    Philip Morris cannot be the only company allowed to not follow a rule requiring cigarette makers to add graphic warnings to their labels, R.J. Reynolds and a coalition of tobacco businesses have told the Eleventh Circuit, suggesting that consumers might assume its cigarettes are safer than theirs.

  • April 20, 2026

    Utah Says Kratom Law Doesn't Clash With Federal Policy

    Utah officials have urged a federal judge not to halt enforcement of a new state law reining in psychoactive products derived from the kratom leaf, saying the policy is necessary for consumer safety and public health and is not preempted by federal law.

  • April 20, 2026

    Feds Get SEC Suit Paused Against Corporate Raider Bilzerian

    Prosecutors can pause U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fraud claims in New York federal court against convicted corporate raider Paul Bilzerian and his associates as the government's own charges against him, his accountant and a vape company head for an October trial.

  • April 20, 2026

    Trump Orders Agencies To Fast-Track Psychedelic Therapies

    President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that his administration would instruct federal agencies to accelerate investigations into new therapies derived from psychedelic drugs and streamline patients' access to the treatments.

  • April 17, 2026

    DC Judge Doubts Standing Of Cannabis Shops Alliance

    A D.C. federal judge told lawyers for an association of marijuana "gifting" shops either to drop their lawsuit challenging the district's new dispensary enforcement scheme or have their members join as parties, after the attorneys conceded that the association had only been formed to bring the litigation.

  • April 17, 2026

    RI Pot Regulators Sees No Easy Fix For License Injunction

    Rhode Island's Cannabis Control Commission said Friday it's looking at every possible option to undo a federal court's order that has stopped it from awarding recreational cannabis licenses, telling concerned industry leaders that the "extremely volatile and constantly evolving legal landscape" means there is no easy fix.

  • April 17, 2026

    Judge Finds E-Cigarette Shop Violated State Tobacco Laws

    A California magistrate judge has recommended summary judgment in favor of the state in its suit against an electronic cigarette seller, saying the undisputed facts of the case say the business violated the law by selling e-cigarettes without a license and unlawfully shipped them through the U.S. Postal Service.

  • April 17, 2026

    Kratom Cos. Deny Blame For Connecticut Man's Death

    A Connecticut man suing a group of kratom companies over the death of his son filed his suit too late and in the wrong venue, and the decedent who suffered an overdose in 2024 "knowingly" assumed the risk of any injury, two of the defendants said in new state court filings.

  • April 16, 2026

    Workers Say Folded Boston Pot Shops Owe Them Pay

    Former employees of two defunct Boston marijuana dispensaries, both called Pure Oasis, are suing the companies behind the shops and their owners in Massachusetts state court, accusing them of failing to pay out final wages and earned vacation time after the leaders decided to close the shops without warning.

  • April 16, 2026

    Cigar Lounge Manager Sanctioned In Embezzlement Case

    North Carolina's business court has sanctioned and entered a default judgment against a cigar lounge manager who was accused of misappropriating funds and locking his business partners out of the establishment.

  • April 16, 2026

    8th Circ. Weighs Link Between Cannabis Use And Danger

    An Eighth Circuit panel weighing a man's conviction for owning a firearm as an unlawful marijuana user appeared inclined Thursday to reject his Second Amendment challenge and rule that his violent actions warranted the charge as it was applied to him.

  • April 15, 2026

    'Deemed' Admissions End Tribal Cannabis Raid Suit

    A California federal judge tossed a lawsuit claiming Riverside County in Southern California and its sheriff's department illegally raided a cannabis operation on sovereign tribal land, due to insufficient discovery responses that resulted in "deemed" admissions. 

  • April 15, 2026

    LA Sues To Ban Operators Of Alleged Illegal Cannabis Op

    Two Los Angeles-area entrepreneurs have been accused of converting a warehouse into an illicit cannabis grow house to cultivate thousands of plants, according to a state court lawsuit by the city attorney's office, which seeks to impose tens of thousands of dollars in fines and permanently ban them from the industry.

  • April 15, 2026

    Squires Passes On 10 Patent Challenges, Takes On 2 Others

    The newest bulk order from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has rejected 10 petitions for America Invents Act patent reviews while granting a couple others, including a Google challenge to a patent owned by Headwater Research LLC.

  • April 15, 2026

    Rhode Island To Appeal Order Freezing Cannabis Licensure

    Rhode Island cannabis regulators will ask the First Circuit to reconsider a court order halting social equity and adult-use cannabis licensure, according to a notice of appeal filed Wednesday.

  • April 15, 2026

    Pot Co. CFO Says Attys Must Be DQ'd In Embezzling Suit

    The former CFO of four related cannabis companies, who is accused of embezzling from those companies, is urging a California state court to disqualify the plaintiffs' attorneys, saying there is a conflict of interest between the company plaintiffs and the individual plaintiffs.

  • April 14, 2026

    Kansas Cops Say Hemp Laws Too 'Complex' For Raid Liability

    Kansas state law enforcement officials are looking to escape litigation accusing them of confiscating tens of thousands of dollars worth of legal hemp products during allegedly illegal raids on two vape shops, telling a federal court that state hemp laws are too "complex" for officers to know what is and isn't illicit.

  • April 14, 2026

    Virginia Governor Proposes Delaying Cannabis Retail Sales

    Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday declined to sign into law legislation that would tax and regulate the sale of adult-use cannabis, sending the bill back to the Legislature with numerous changes, including delaying the launch of the retail market by an additional six months.

  • April 14, 2026

    Vehicle Co. Inks $150K Deal To End Tobacco Fee Suit

    International Motors LLC, formerly Navistar, has agreed to pay $150,000 to resolve a suit claiming the company illegally charged workers an extra $600 a year if they used tobacco without giving them a proper avenue to dodge the fee, according to an Illinois federal court filing.

  • April 13, 2026

    Cannabis Giant Verano Accused Of Mishandling Patient Info

    Cannabis giant Verano exposed the private data of at least half a million of its medical marijuana customers, according to a proposed class action removed to federal court that alleges the company turned ordinary receipts into "highly sensitive medical records."

  • April 13, 2026

    Insurer Says Coverage Barred For Alleged Nitrous Oxide Sales

    Admiral Insurance Co. has no duty to defend or indemnify a group of smoke shops from claims they illegally sold nitrous oxide canisters to individuals, allegedly resulting in several fatal car accidents, the insurer told a Michigan federal court.

  • April 13, 2026

    Legislative Update: Cannabis And Psychedelics Bill Roundup

    Massachusetts legislators sent a bill making numerous changes to the state's cannabis regulatory scheme to the governor, Oregon and Louisiana advanced legislation to expand medical marijuana access to seriously ill patients in healthcare facilities, and Virginia's governor approved legislation paving the way for medical psilocybin if the drug's federal status should change. Here are the major moves in cannabis and psychedelics legislation from the past week.

Expert Analysis

  • When Atty Ethics Violations Give Rise To Causes Of Action

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    Though the Model Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that a violation of the rules does not automatically create a cause of action, attorneys should beware of a few scenarios in which they could face lawsuits for ethical lapses, says Brian Faughnan at Faughnan Law.

  • Risk Mitigation For Psychedelic Use In Reproductive Health

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    With the rising use of psychedelics among women of reproductive age and the absence of clear professional guidelines regarding risk labeling, healthcare providers and facilitators should adopt proactive, evidence-based approaches to mitigate malpractice liability risks, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Sara Shoar at the University of Southern California.

  • Series

    Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

  • 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.

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