Photo of Slates C. Veazey

Slates is a member of Bradley’s Cannabis Industry team, advising clients on a variety of cannabis issues and in a wide range of sectors. From individuals and entities interested in participating in the new Mississippi medical cannabis program to non-plant-touching companies impacted by that emerging market, Slates and his partners provide the full suite of services that Bradley offers to its many other clients -- but with a specific understanding of the ever-changing cannabis industry. His work has been featured in The National Law Journal, JD Supra, and the Cannabis Business Executive. Slates also has been quoted by the Mississippi Business Journal and Mississippi Today regarding Mississippi’s medical cannabis program.

You’ve probably seen the reports of the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals’ January 7, 2025 opinion upholding a Virginia law that regulates consumable hemp products. I planned to put up a blog post soon after the opinion was handed down, and I will still summarize the holding here. But the delay in writing

It’s the first week of January, and you all know what that means in the blogging game: It’s time to make wild predictions about the coming year. As always, making predictions is hard, particularly when they’re about the future. But here are a few of our thoughts about what the cannabis world may look

Part of the reason we started a Cannabis Industry team at a Southeastern-based law firm before any Southeastern state had adopted a marijuana program was because we had a hunch that the expansion of cannabis would eventually make its way to our neck of the woods. And we guess it was just kind of a

In an April 2023 blog post, we questioned the constitutionality of Mississippi’s regulations that restrict medical cannabis businesses from advertising. And, in that post, we observed that challenging those regulations under the United States Constitution would potentially face unsurmountable legal hurdles:

While courts use the same analysis under either federal or state law, any

Well, our Matt Gaetz post was short lived. And, in hindsight, that should come as no surprise given the overwhelming opposition and allegations that continued to emerge. If you are a frequent reader of Budding Trends, however, you know we try to stay on top of the unending news cycle that is the cannabis

Last week, the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs held a hearing to discuss how the Lonestar State might soon regulate THC-infused beverages. Led by committee chair Sen. Bryan Hughes, the hearing heard from members of Texas agencies and representatives of companies in the hemp industry, all discussing the need for reasonable regulations, as well

War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.

We at Budding Trends have devoted thousands of words (and nearly as many pop culture references) to the escalating tension between the marijuana and hemp industries. It seems that to many in the cannabis industry this is a zero-sum game. But it’s far

I guess if you do this job long enough, you’ll see just about everything. This time, it’s the attorney general of Mississippi wading into the legality of beverages containing hemp. And it’s a doozy.

The late, very great artist (and I stress the word artist) Merle Haggard used to sing “I Think I’ll Just Stay

Thoroughbreds shouldn’t be the only ones racing towards a finish line in Kentucky in the near future. Those vying for a precious medical cannabis business license in Kentucky’s new medical cannabis program will also need to hustle. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, via HB 829, has expedited the business license application timeline, originally to commence in