Legal Insights

What Senate Bill 1148 (SB 1148) Provides: Statutory CEQA Exemption for State Cannabis Licenses
Joe Rogoway

SB 1148 Should be Amended to Include Local Cannabis Permitting Programs in the Statutory CEQA Exemption

What Senate Bill 1148 Provides: Statutory CEQA Exemption for State Cannabis Licenses Senate Bill 1148 (“SB 1148”), a pending bill in the California State Senate, would provide that the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) would NOT apply to the issuance of a state cannabis license if the local jurisdiction has filed a notice of exemption or a notice of determination

Read More »
Assembly Bill No. 2728 (AB 2728) seeks to increase the civil penalties associated with illegal, unlicensed commercial cannabis activity within the State of California.
Rogoway Law Group

AB 2728 Aims to Curb Illegal and Unlicensed Commercial Cannabis Businesses in California

As licensed commercial cannabis businesses in the State of California continue to struggle, in part because of the continuously proliferating illegal market, Assembly Bill No. 2728 (“AB 2728”) seeks to increase the civil penalties associated with illegal, unlicensed commercial cannabis activity within the State. Existing California Regulations Under existing law, a person engaging in commercial cannabis activity without a license

Read More »
Assembly Bill 2691 Will Allow for Temporary Cannabis Event Cultivator Retail Licenses
Rogoway Law Group

Assembly Bill 2691: Proposed Bill Will Allow for Temporary Cannabis Event Cultivator Retail Licenses

As licensed commercial cannabis businesses in the State of California continue to struggle due to, among other things, high taxes, onerous regulatory requirements, and a flooded market, the State Legislature is considering a number of bills that relate to cannabis. One such bill, Assembly Bill 2691, aims to help small cultivators by allowing them to sell their cannabis directly to

Read More »
Cannabis Beverage Packaging Regulations
Rogoway Law Group

AB 1646 Would Update Packaging Requirements for Cannabis Beverage Products

What problem does AB 1646 address? When California legalized adult-use cannabis in 2016, the cannabis beverage sector was a negligible part of the cannabis industry. Initial cannabis packaging laws and regulations were formulated without taking into account the specific requirements of cannabis beverage manufacturers and consumers. And even though the cannabis beverage sector is one of the fastest-growing sectors of

Read More »
Rogoway Law Group

NY’s State Sponsored Cannabis Education Programs: A Model for States with Legal Cannabis Regimes

As more and more states move to legalize medical and/or recreational cannabis use and business, the education of the masses is usually left on the back-burner as governments push toward permitting and licensing businesses rather than conducting community outreach and providing cannabis education programs to the public. While states like California and Washington have educational components on their state licensing

Read More »
Rogoway Law Group

US House of Representatives Passes Cannabis Decriminalization Bill, the MORE Act

On Friday, April 1, 2022, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 3617, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (the “MORE Act”). The MORE Act would, among other things, remove cannabis from the schedule of controlled substances outlined in the federal Controlled Substances Act, provide for the regulation of cannabis sales, eliminate criminal penalties for the possession, manufacturing,

Read More »
Los Angeles County is to start the development and implementation of an equitable commercial cannabis licensing program.
Rogoway Law Group

Los Angeles County to Create and Implement a Commercial Cannabis Licensing Program

According to a press release from the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (“DCBA”), “on February 15, 2022, the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors passed a motion directing the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs’ Office of Cannabis Management to start the development and implementation of an equitable commercial cannabis licensing program” for the unincorporated

Read More »
Mendocino County Marijuana Regulations
Rogoway Law Group

Mendocino County’s Cannabis Cultivation Ordinance On Hold Due to a Voter Referendum

The County of Mendocino recently adopted a comprehensive cannabis “expansion” ordinance that made sweeping changes to, among other things, the County’s commercial cannabis cultivation regulations. Mendocino County’s cannabis cultivation ordinance (the Commercial Cannabis Activity Land Use Development Ordinance, Chapter 22.18 of the Mendocino County Code) was set to go into effect on July 23, 2021 but is now on hold

Read More »
California's three state cannabis licensing authorities have consolidated to form the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC).
Rogoway Law Group

California Cannabis Licensing Authorities Consolidate With Passing of AB 141, Creating the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC)

Yesterday, California’s three state cannabis licensing authorities – the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), CDFA’s CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing, and CDPH’s Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch – consolidated to form the Department of Cannabis Control (the “DCC” or “Department”). The formation of the DCC and the consolidation of the three agencies is a consequence of Governor Newsom signing Assembly Bill (AB) 141.

Read More »