On March 31, 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Marihuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA) legalizing adult-use cannabis in New York State. In doing so, New York became the 15th state in the United States to legalize cannabis use.

As  a result of the enactment of the MRTA, New York established the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). The OCM
Continue Reading CANNABIS IN NEW YORK STATE: JUST THE FACTS

The Compassionate Care Act has expanded and changed each year since Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed it into law in 2014 and 2018 was no different.

Among others, one big change that was made to the Medical Marijuana Program was the addition of opioid replacement as a qualifying condition[1] for medical marijuana. As a result of this change, patients
Continue Reading Marijuana Regulation in New York – A Look Forward to 2019

With so much happening in the cannabis industry we thought we’d take this time to highlight some of the industry’s most recent happenings.

  • Increasing Support for Decriminalization of Marijuana (Federal): On April 20, 2018, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said he’ll introduce a bill taking marijuana off the federal list of controlled substances — in effect decriminalizing


Continue Reading Cannabis Industry Update – April 2018

As we’ve discussed in previous blog posts, marijuana, whether used for medicinal or recreational purposes, is classified as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The CSA prohibits the manufacturing, distributing, dispensing or possession of certain controlled substances, including marijuana and marijuana-based products and services. In addition, the CSA makes it unlawful to sell, offer for
Continue Reading NYS Senator Gillibrand To Co-Sponsor Marijuana Justice Act

Despite numerous states having legalized medical marijuana, and a handful of others having legalized marijuana for recreational use, it still remains impossible to obtain a U.S. federal trademark registration for marijuana products or related goods or services.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency charged with granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. The USPTO registers trademarks
Continue Reading Federal v. State Trademark Registration for Marijuana-Related Goods and Services