It’s been, like, a whole year since our last 420 blog post, man. And the past year made way for even more of the choicest blog posts about cannabis industry topics ranging from the business of THC, CBD, the Deltas, Medical Marijuana, hemp, and more. Our second annual “Weed Roundup” — featuring our top
Banking
Dude, Where’s My Liquidation?
Every election it seems like the country inches closer to cannabis being legal at the federal level. Until that day comes, however, the question of whether those in the cannabis industry can seek bankruptcy relief remains. Because cannabis remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), for the past decade bankruptcy courts have routinely…
To Reschedule or To Deschedule: That Is the (Marijuana) Question
Now that the dust is starting to settle on the recent news that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recommended to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) that marijuana be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law, it is important to understand the implications of rescheduling marijuana and…
A Watched Pot Never Boils: SAFE Banking on the Backburner Again
“I’m tellin’ ya, don’t believe the hype.”
– The Reytons, On the Back Burner
Advocates of the SAFE Banking Act – who by now must be feeling a little like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football – were dealt another setback last week. The beleaguered proposal finds itself simmering in committee just in time…
Last Dance with Mary Jane? Faltering Cannabis Businesses May Have a Bankruptcy Option in Addition to State Law Remedies
For at least the past decade, federal bankruptcy courts have routinely prohibited cannabis businesses from seeking protection under federal bankruptcy law, regardless of whether a cannabis business is legally operating under state law. The reason is that cannabis remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which, in addition to criminalizing the direct growing…
Removing the Green Tax: Congress Can Bring Cannabis Tax Policy in Line with Cannabis Enforcement Policy
If you give me an opportunity to quote George Harrison, I’m going to do it. In “Taxman,” he wrote:
Should five percent appear too small
Be thankful I don’t take it all
‘Cause I’m the taxman
Yeah, I’m the taxman
I suspect “The Quiet One” would be appalled to know the taxes facing…
Preparing a Cannabis Application: Five Things I Learned
Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” is an anthem to love and growing old. Among its many great lines is “wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” Can you tell I recently turned 40?
But I write today not about what I wish I didn’t know, but about what I wish I did…
If You Don’t Believe, You Won’t Receive: Predicting Three Cannabis Reforms in the Coming Year
I’m not proud of it, but I’m the resident cynic amongst the editorial staff here at Budding Trends when it comes to federal marijuana reform. And after all, someone has to temper the frivolous whims of others. But we’re coming off the holiday season where I told two growing children that if they did not…
2022 Midterms and the Future of the Safe Banking Act
As the midterm elections come to an end, we revisit the future of the SAFE Banking Act and the hurdles we expect to see in the coming Congressional term. If passed, the SAFE Banking Act would remove uncertainties surrounding federally regulated financial institutions, allowing financial institutions to bank the legal cannabis industry with less legal…
Change (May) Come at Last? Biden Announces Review of Marijuana Scheduling and Mass Pardons for Simple Marijuana Possession
Yesterday, President Joe Biden made two historic announcements which he described as steps to “end” the federal government’s “failed approach” to marijuana. First, he is issuing mass pardons for federal convictions of simple marijuana possession and has encouraged governors to do the same for state-level marijuana offenses. Second, President Biden ordered Secretary of Health and…