Back in 2012, when Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational/adult-use marijuana, we typically summarized the proposal with a pithy suggestion-- “just regulate marijuana like alcohol.” It didn’t quite shake out that way, because marijuana is decidedly not alcohol, but the argument by analogy certainly convinced voters to approve cannabis reforms in a number [...]
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Luke Ewing
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Kamala Harris’ Switch from Cannabis Legalization to Decriminalization
In her acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination for vice president, Kamala Harris reiterated her call for equal justice and the end of structural racism. In the past year, Harris has swiftly embraced a role as a leader on cannabis legalization emphasizing its effectiveness in achieving these goals. However, with her newly minted status as [...]
The State of State Initiatives: Marijuana in 2020 curbed by COVID
Written by Tyler Elder and Luke Ewing As we hear every election cycle, the election of 2020 will be the most important election of our time. But what about the importance of this election to the cannabis industry? For a while, it looked like we would have a flood of new states voting on-- and likely [...]
The Next President’s Stance on Cannabis
What will the next president’s stance on cannabis be? As the year progresses, the presidential field narrows: what was once filled with more than a dozen candidates has now been reduced to just a few. Ahead of what will be perhaps one of the most dividing elections we’ll see in our lifetime, we thought that [...]
Successfully Pivoting Your Company’s 4/20 Plans During Coronavirus
April 20th (or 4/20) is a day cherished by cannabis users around the world as a reason to consume with friends and attend rallies, concerts, and festivals in celebration. What was once a ritual started by a group of high school students in the 1970s has become a mainstream, commercialized holiday, used by cannabis companies [...]
Status Update for 2019 Cannabis Industry Predictions
Back in December 2018, on behalf of Simplifya, I made three predictions for what we would see happen in the cannabis industry in 2019. Those predictions included that the New York and Illinois state legislatures would legalize recreational cannabis and that the 116th Congress would enact incremental reform to address some of the unique challenges […]
Your cannabis business should have New Year’s resolutions too
If you’re anything like me, coming up with New Year’s resolutions for yourself (and sticking to them, for that matter) is just so … blegh. For cannabis business owners, though, some healthy 2019 resolution-reflection time can go a long way in setting up a great year. …But what should those goals be? I’m so happy […]
The compliance officer’s dilemma
Culture of Compliance The true measure of success for a compliance officer lies in creating a culture of compliance that permeates the organization. He needs to make every employee a compliance officer of sorts, and the greater his degree of success in doing so, the less the need for any one individual with "compliance" in [...]