Earlier this month, President Trump tapped “physician-turned wellness influencer” Casey Means as his nominee for surgeon general. Means has close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Trump has touted her “impeccable” Make America Health Again (MAHA) credentials. We’ve written previously on what impact Trump’s second presidency could
Often wrong, never in doubt. That’s our promise here at Budding Trends. A little over a year ago, we wrote these words: “DEA will reschedule marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule III.” We later acknowledged we (may have) jumped the gun on that and modified our prediction to be that rescheduling won’t happen in
As the hallowed cannabis holiday for stoners-turned-business-entrepreneurs falls upon us, we find ourselves in the shifting sands of change in the cannabis industry as usual. Not surprisingly, many states have seen legislation brought to the table, decisions made at the courts, and commentary presented by politicians that will directly impact cannabis businesses, medical marijuana dispensaries
In November 2023, we pondered whether 2024 might be “the year” for medical marijuana legalization in North Carolina. Well, it wasn’t.
Why, you ask? How can a state whose population has expressed overwhelming bipartisan support for medical marijuana legalization still have nothing to show for it? How can a state whose Senate has shown
A few weeks ago, someone at a holiday party asked “Whitt, why doesn’t Budding Trends take on the weighty legal issues of the day and instead resort to cheap pop culture references and puns?” I thought about responding with a quote from “Run Like an Antelope” but then it hit me: Maybe we
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
2024 was a banner year for cannabis lawmakers and business operators. From Kamala Harris advocating for marijuana reforms to California’s clash of titans between hemp and marijuana markets, there was no shortage of drama in the cannabis industry. Vice President Harris vocally championed marijuana legalization on various platforms, emphasizing its importance for social justice. Meanwhile
And it’s hard to rely on my own
Trademark law protects businesses’ brand identities and helps prevent consumer confusion. The U.S. trademark system operates at both federal and state levels. Federal registration through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) gives nationwide protection and the right to use the coveted ® symbol, along with crucial benefits such as constructive notice of ownership throughout
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