Global Regulatory Risk Advisors

Santa Barbara County will hold a meeting today to review changes to the county’s cannabis ordinance that are intended to address concerns about odors and safety caused by the numerous cultivation facilities in the unincorporated areas. The Board of Supervisors is expected to provide...

Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency released the emergency adult use cannabis regulations last week, which allows the agency to begin accepting applications prior to December 6, 2019. Local cities and prospective business owners have been waiting for the state to release the rules prior to...

Over the last couple of weeks, counties and cities in California have adopted hemp cultivation bans in order to address perceived public nuisance issues from the activity including odor problems and public safety concerns. Counties and cities are also struggling with how to prevent cross-...

Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy released its provisionally adopted rules last Friday. The rules are relatively modest as they include only 78 pages of regulatory requirements. However, the benefits of a friendly regulatory environment may not overcome the onerous in-state licensing and...

The Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, signed seven (7) new cannabis laws into effect. The laws will propel Colorado’s cannabis industry forward by opening doors to public capital, allowing on-site consumption and delivery licenses, and making strides in the development of a robust hemp...

The Illinois Legislature passed a bill on Friday that legalizes adult-use marijuana businesses. Entrepreneurs who want to start a cannabis business should start preparing now in order to ensure a place in the front of the line. The legislation requires the Department of Agriculture and the ...

The New York Senate released an amended version of the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act for consideration ahead of the Legislature’s 2019 session end on June 19th. The legislation was originally introduced in January and will regulate, tax and control marihuana like alcohol. Most notably...

The Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill that will prevent local municipalities from prohibiting medical cannabis dispensaries. The bill has been sent to Governor Kevin Stitt for his signature. The state’s medical marijuana industry is booming as the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority has...

The fact that cannabis is illegal under federal law is not the only reason why the industry is high risk. The vertical nature of the cannabis industry means that a business may perform activities in multiple sub-industries such as agriculture, pharmaceutical manufacturing and testing, food...

The Oregon Department of Agriculture adopted final regulations for the hemp industry on May 15, 2019, which replace the temporary rules that were put in place in December.  The DOA’s regulations govern the production and processing of hemp in Oregon including the creation of extracted...

By Susan Ameel, co-founder and partner of Global Regulatory Risk Advisors. Humboldt County continues to step up enforcement against illegal growers. Over the past year, the Humboldt County Code Enforcement Unit in California has actively identified illegal grow operations using satellite imagery....

By Susan Ameel, co-founder and partner of Global Regulatory Risk Advisors. Governor Steve Sisolak signed a new law into effect that requires the state to publicly disclose an extensive amount of information about marijuana businesses. The law requires the state to disclose the names of the...

By Susan Ameel, co-founder and partner of Global Regulatory Risk Advisors. The United States is witnessing the rise in state power. The states are uniting to fight the federal government, lead social causes such as global warming, and they are driving innovation. We are also witnessing the rise in...

By Susan Ameel, co-founder and partner of Global Regulatory Risk Advisors. The Florida Legislature passed a bill to implement a hemp program in the state in accordance with the 2018 Farm Bill on the last day of the legislative session, May 3, 2019.  The new law will require the Department of...

By Susan Ameel, co-founder and partner of Global Regulatory Risk Advisors. The Department of Justice (DOJ) updated its guidance to help prosecutors to evaluate corporate compliance programs.  Prosecutors rely on this guidance when evaluating business organizations during an investigation,...