Mollie Hartman Lustig, Esq.’s Post

A significant victory for hemp businesses! 🌿 The ruling by New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron represents a major win for hemp retailers, allowing them to remove enforcement signs falsely labeling them as ‘illicit cannabis’ stores—an unconstitutional action challenged by Joshua S. Bauchner, Chair of the Cannabis, Hemp, and Psychedelics Practice Group at Mandelbaum Barrett PC. Read the full article below to learn how this ruling is shaping the fight for fair treatment and due process for hemp operators. #CannabisLaw #HempIndustry #LegalVictory #Attorney #AttorneyAtLaw

...and, if you were surprised by this, you were also caught unaware that there was a total eclipse yesterday (how is life under that rock?)... ...I am sure this happens a lot - it happens with bars and even with the government retailers in bev-alc, and in traditional grocery - the way it's done is more Trumpian-Cohenian, in a code that gets the point across, without being overt - but when the LCBO or LCL want you to do something, they get their point across. Legal cannabis is a dirty business - heck, most industries still have their share of dirt. It's just that legal cannabis seems to have more than its fair share. This won't make it go away - it will (a) reduce it a bit, but more so (b) make the retailers a bit more savvy in how they speak the code. https://lnkd.in/g3Ttp8C5

Letter from the Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group to all Sonoma City Council members, city manager, city attorney, and all members of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors: Dispensary owner John Loe's displays of hate and extremism in public and private are obvious impediments to the fair and equitable availability of cannabis for the citizens of Sonoma and the Valley. We invite you to view this seventh installment of our story of cannabis access in Sonoma. https://lnkd.in/gbKph_X2 We don't believe that in their quest for more options and choices, it's reasonable to expect consumers to patronize a business owned by a white supremacist. So long as the city council forestalls action to advance reasonable access, our patients and consumers will continue to face only one option: Hobson's choice, either take what is available or get nothing at all. You have a chance to welcome a second dispensary within the city limits that will bring jobs, provide tax revenue and serve both local residents and tourists. This is important, because Loe's business does not provide any tax revenue to the city. Nor will there be any improvement in the health, safety and welfare of local patients and consumers who are well aware of the type of person Loe is and will not patronize his business. If you post the RFP you will have several reputable and financially stable Sonoma County operators willing to apply. We would also like to remind that many of our 200 SVCG members are Sonoma voters and many of them have friends and family who are also constituents and support the value and purpose of our group. We are also sharing this email and video with the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, all of whom have been subjected to Mr. Loe's abusive and degrading behavior. The principals of SPARC, Erich Pearson and Poseidon Asset Management will receive this email, as well. Finally, we have posted this video across multiple social media platforms and we will forward this email to Sonoma County media outlets. If you’ve not been following our story, all 7 installments (so far) are available on the front page of our Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group website. Additionally, you'll find that our site pretty well chronicles the entire history of access in Sonoma since 2017. Regards, Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group, Policy Committee: Gil Latimer Josette Brose-Eichar Ken Brown Van Solkov David Eichar Perri Ellis Panaigua Richard Silver CC: Supervisor Susan Gorin Supervisor David Rabbitt Supervisor Chris Coursey Supervisor James Gore Supervisor Lynda Hopkins #boycottsparc #boycottloedispensaries #cannabis #cannabisbusiness #cannabisindustry #cannabiscommunity #cannabisretail #cannabismarketing #dispensary #sonoma #cannabisnews

Hello hemp haters. 🤣 Let me start with this to get you warmed up. "In a nutshell, larger marijuana interests have sought to eliminate (or severely restrict) the federally legal hemp sector in order to protect the present overly-taxed and overly-regulated often-times limited license regulatory structures that have built in upwards of twenty-four U.S. states. That's our Corporate Cannabis players right there. Those are the hemp haters that I worry about. The rest of you who have joined the big cannabis bandwagon please understand. They are coming for you next. They just need your help to fight this fight first. Get you a$$ into hemp and get a foot on both sides. They are. On to the next one. "The point is that this Amendment is far from final public policy, and various unnamed sources have told me that it has “already been gutted.”" That's the Miller Amendment. The one that got slid in with all the SNAP amendments so that no one paid attention to it. On a side note, I have a newfound respect for her. That was gangster but way too soon. And then... "This is a moment in time where policy advocates and trade associations need to demonstrate vision and collaboration—not fear mongering and market share protectionism. Otherwise, these self-serving efforts merely reinforce the notion in Washington, D.C. and beyond that the industry does not know what it is. Because an industry that does not know what it is cannot really be an industry at all, can it? So, go somewhere else and continue your cream puff war. Your constant battles are getting to be a bore." Well done Robert Hoban. Thank you. https://lnkd.in/gZVVjkWZ

Pennsylvania -- will they or won't they legalize cannabis for adult use? In this edition of "will they or won't they," a legalization bill in the House calls for a state-run model similar to how the Keystone State runs alcohol. But that's not necessary, nor is it ideal. Alcohol and cannabis are fundamentally different products. Proponents of this House bill say that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board already has existing infrastructure to carry out some functions, like tax collection. But PA also has more than 20 other states to look to for successful adult-use cannabis industry models, programs built specifically for the plant and not retrofit from a completely different product. This could create more gaps and difficulties for an industry that will need stellar, tailored support from its very first moments to succeed. #pennsylvania #adultusecanna #cannabisindustry #eastcoast

The growth and expansion of cannabis businesses owned and operated by Native American tribes represent a significant milestone in the diversification of tribal economies and the assertion of tribal sovereignty. With tribally owned cannabis retailers emerging across the U.S., tribes are strategically capitalizing on first-to-market opportunities in various states, leveraging their unique position to navigate the evolving landscape of the cannabis industry. As sovereign nations, Native American tribes have the authority to establish their own marijuana laws, which may differ from state regulations outside tribal lands. This autonomy allows tribes to tailor their cannabis policies to align with their cultural values, economic goals, and community needs, fostering a more inclusive and sustainable approach to cannabis business operations. In this evolving landscape, Leaf Lens stands as a strategic partner poised to support tribal cannabis businesses in optimizing their operations, ensuring compliance, and maximizing growth potential. With expertise in tailored BPO solutions for the cannabis industry, Leaf Lens offers specialized services to enhance efficiency, streamline processes, and drive innovation within tribal cannabis enterprises. By partnering with Leaf Lens, tribal cannabis businesses can benefit from industry-specific knowledge, compliance assurance, and operational excellence, empowering them to thrive in a rapidly evolving market while upholding their sovereign rights and cultural integrity. #LeafLens #LeafLensServices #LeafLensSupport #Outsourcing #BPO #CannabisIndustry #CannabisCommunity #CannabisCompany #CannabisFam #GraphicDesign #Support #Marketing

The state of New York must compel towns to follow the law where cannabis is concerned. It is nonsensical for towns that allow liquor stores and smoke shops in plazas in every commercially zoned area to deny cannabis businesses the right to operate in the same places. You practically trip over a smoke shop everywhere you go on Long Island! Alcohol and tobacco are demonstrably more poisonous substances than cannabis, and drunk driving (and driving unsafely while smoking cigarettes) is common everywhere, but somehow the rules for selling liquor and cigarettes are more loose than for cannabis? Anyone who claims that cannabis abuse is somehow worse than alcohol abuse is trying to sell you something (and probably has a law enforcement budget they want to pork up). If New York State Office of Cannabis Management were able to push for this change, they should ask the state to compel towns to allow dispensaries to operate anywhere they have allowed a smoke shop to open, or otherwise forbid smoke shops AND dispensaries from operating in their town at all. Then we'd see some progress!

The transition from legacy to legal is challenging for operators and consumers alike. And while regulated cannabis has it's benefits, there can be downsides as well. Explore the debate in the latest from Rachelle Gordon now on GreenState. https://lnkd.in/gxmNrJF3

Thanks to Sophie and the NJ Monitor for the insightful coverage on this perplexing issue! We came full circle - purpose was to prevent sales to minors, and we got right back to where we started. #hemp #cannabis #mblawfirm