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mikesmiller86 · 4 years

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Colorado’s marijuana businesses can remain open during pandemic, but they say they’re still struggling

As the coronavirus fueled changes in regulation for Colorado’s cannabis industry, leaders at LivWell Enlightened Health knew they needed to make dramatic moves to keep the business and its workers thriving. And fast.

On March 30, 18 company executives and department heads agreed to suspend their compensation for three months to avoid making cuts elsewhere, including personnel.

The company employs 690 people between its cultivation sites, business administration and 18 dispensaries in Colorado and Oregon. Most are what Executive Director Dean Heizer calls “heartbeat” employees, namely, those on the front lines serving customers in marijuana dispensaries and working in its grow facilities sites to ensure there’s product to sell.

“Our employees in retail and cultivation are the heartbeat of our company. We don’t survive if they aren’t happy and healthy,” he said.

Heizer declined to comment on the exact amount of money made available by deferred compensation, but said it’s enough to “keep our promise” to provide two weeks of paid sick leave and continued health insurance coverage for employees.

“This and other cost-cutting measures put us in a good position to weather the storm,” Heizer said. “So long as the storm lasts 90 days.”

Cannabis is one of the select industries deemed “critical” and allowed to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic, but despite brief, panic-induced surges in business, many contend the industry is still struggling as Coloradans stay home and job losses mount in a crashing economy.

RELATED: After panicked crowds swarm Denver liquor stores and dispensaries, mayor reverses order to close both

The industry’s not alone. A recent survey conducted by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce found about a third of businesses have laid off or furloughed workers, including many in industries considered essential during a public health crisis.

But those hardships are compounded by the fact that marijuana companies and ancillary businesses that service the industry do not qualify for federal stimulus relief. Still, cannabis companies are taking measures to keep their workers from joining the growing ranks of the unemployed.

The circumstances have forced some, like LivWell, to get creative financially. Others, like Green Dragon, are trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy until they can find viable long-term solutions, said co-owner Alex Levine. The company operates 14 dispensaries, including several in mountain towns like Aspen and Telluride, where ski resort closures and a lack of tourists caused sales to drop.

Green Dragon does not currently plan to lay off approximately 250 workers — in fact, it’s hiring to replace personnel that can’t risk working because of the potential for exposure to the coronavirus, Levine said. But the absence of financial aid and a federal tax “burden” that prohibits cannabis companies from deducting businesses expenses from taxable income make planning for the future difficult, he said.

“We’re trying to take it day by day, and trying to keep everything running as normal as possible,” Levine said. “Some are saying this a recession-proof product. That is certainly not the case.”

RELATED: How many people are filing for unemployment and how do you apply for it in Colorado?

The pandemic is not only causing havoc for plant-touching companies, or those that work directly with marijuana. Brian Vicente, founding partner of Vicente Sederberg, which specializes in cannabis law, believes his company will not benefit from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act because of its affiliation with cannabis. The ramifications, he said, could be “damaging.”

“Law firms like mine, accounting firms and software firms that simply service marijuana industry… now we and folks like us are in a pretty precarious financial position,” Vicente said, adding he’s considered furloughs and pay reductions for his roughly 90-person firm.

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A group of senators recently called on lawmakers to include cannabis businesses in eligibility for Small Business Administration loans and other federal funds, but Ashley Picillo, founder and CEO of Denver-based Point Seven Group, is still concerned. Her consulting firm helps new canna-businesses with licensing, compliance and facility design, among other upstart issues. Exclusion from the CARES Act puts her staff of 14 at risk and puts mounting pressure on her to collect from clients who are also experiencing hardship.

“I took a pay cut and intend to stay off payroll until we see this shake out,” Picillo said. “I have a contingency plan to say, ‘Here’s what I’m going to do before I start to let go of any of my people.’ ”

from News By Mike https://www.denverpost.com/2020/04/07/colorado-cannabis-companies-struggling-coronavirus/

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bestmarijuanaboutiques · 5 years

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Press Release: Founders of California Cannabis Law Firm Frontera Join Vicente Sederberg LLP

New Post has been published on https://bestmarijuanaboutiques.com/?post_type=wprss_feed_item&p=23879

Press Release: Founders of California Cannabis Law Firm Frontera Join Vicente Sederberg LLP

Here’s the press release in full….

VS significantly expands California operations with addition of partners Luke Stanton and Jeffrey Welsh in Los Angeles and associate attorney Christina Sava in Oakland

LOS ANGELES — The founders of preeminent California cannabis business firm Frontera Law Group have joined top-ranked national cannabis law and policy firm Vicente Sederberg LLP. Luke K. Stanton and Jeffrey D. Welsh are now partners at VS and will be based in the firm’s Los Angeles office. The move, along with VS’s recent hiring of associate attorney Christina Sava in San Francisco, marks a significant expansion of the firm’s flourishing California operations. “We are pleased to welcome these exceptionally talented attorneys to Vicente Sederberg,” said VS Founding Partner Josh Kappel. “This expansion of the firm’s partnership, as well as the addition of a highly qualified attorney in the Bay Area, will create a host of new opportunities for our clients and further establish VS as a global leader on cannabis law and policy.”

Stanton and Welsh are accomplished business attorneys who founded Frontera in 2015 to help entrepreneurs and businesses navigate the complex legal and regulatory landscape of the emerging cannabis industry in California. Leveraging the deep domain knowledge Stanton developed over his five years with one of California’s leading cannabis criminal defense firms, and Welsh’s experience as an attorney in the business affairs department of entertainment powerhouse William Morris Endeavor, Frontera quickly grew to become one of California’s leading specialty cannabis business firms. It helped develop an array of best-in-class cannabis companies, brands, producers and ancillary service providers across the state of California, assisting them in all stages of growth, from start-up to exit, and its client roster boasts a number of companies that have grown into nine- and 10-figure businesses. Frontera was recognized as one of the “Top 100 Cannabis Leaders” by Entrepreneur Magazine and one of the “50 Best Companies to Work for in Cannabis” by MG Magazine.

“Luke and Jeffrey built Frontera from the ground up into a premier cannabis law practice and leader in the California cannabis business community,” Kappel said. “Their diversity of experience and deep understanding of the state’s legal and regulatory landscapes will play a critical role in VS’s continued growth in California and beyond.”

Stanton and Welsh also own and operate several other businesses focused on the cannabis industry. Stanton is a founding partner at Skyfront Holdings Ltd., an international insurance platform that specializes in emerging markets, including cannabis and hemp. He is also managing partner of Skytree Capital Partners, a Nevada-based private equity firm. Welsh is a co-founder of Composite, a full-service creative agency that has grown brands and helped legitimize perceptions of the cannabis industry through branding, advertising, marketing, and content services. “We are proud and excited to join a firm with such a strong national presence and rich history of leadership in the field of cannabis law and policy,” Stanton said. “Vicente Sederberg is known for its unparalleled knowledge, experience, and influence in the marijuana and hemp industries. Pairing Frontera’s existing capabilities with everything VS has built over the past 10 years will give our clients access to an incredible wealth of resources that goes far above and beyond what we were previously capable of offering. We could not be more thrilled with this transition and what it means for our clients and the cannabis industry as a whole.”

About the Attorneys:

Luke K. Stanton – https://vicentesederberg.com/people/luke-stanton/

Jeffrey D. Welsh – https://vicentesederberg.com/people/jeffrey-welsh/ Christina Sava – https://vicentesederberg.com/people/christina-sava/

About Vicente Sederberg LLP:

Vicente Sederberg LLP – https://vicentesederberg.com/ – is a national cannabis law firm that has been on the leading edge of marijuana and hemp law and policy for nearly a decade. It has approximately 100 employees, including more than 40 attorneys, working out of offices in Denver, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and Jacksonville.

VS offers a full suite of corporate, legal, policy, regulatory, and research services for all types of cannabis businesses, ancillary businesses, trade associations, nonprofits, and governmental bodies. Since its founding in 2010, VS has helped shape marijuana and hemp policies across the nation and around the globe. It has also assisted clients in obtaining cannabis business licenses in 21 states and dozens of localities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Chambers and Partners USA ranked VS a Band 1 law firm in its inaugural “Cannabis Law” practice category, and National Law Journal recognized six of the firm’s partners as “Cannabis Law Trailblazers” in its first two years of publishing the list.

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blockheadbrands · 5 years

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Colorado Cannabis Tax Revenues Top $1 Billion

A.J. Herrington of High Times Reports:

Tax revenues from Colorado’s cannabis industry have topped $1 billion since legalization, according to a new report released on Wednesday by Denver cannabis law firm Vicente Sederberg. The report details and analyzes fees and taxes collected by the Colorado Department of Revenue since the beginning of legal sales of cannabis for adult use on January 1, 2014. Colorado voters legalized possession and sales of recreational marijuana with the passage of Amendment 64 in 2012.

Taxes and fees collected by the Department of Revenue totaled $1.02 billion at the end of April, according to data from the agency. The figure “does not include hundreds of millions of dollars in additional cannabis related taxes and fees collected by local governments,” the report notes.

Since 2014, more than $6.56 billion in regulated cannabis sales have taken place in the state, including more than $4.46 billion in sales for adult use and nearly $2.1 billion in medical marijuana purchases.

Cannabis Taxes Support Education

More than $283 million of cannabis tax revenue has been dedicated to K-12 education, with a majority of the funds used to build new schools. Amendment 64 directed the state legislature to enact a tax on wholesale transfers of cannabis for adult use and allocated the first $40 million collected each year to a program to fund school construction known as Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST).

In addition to supporting schools in Colorado, marijuana tax revenues have been used to fund cannabis research, substance abuse treatment and prevention efforts, affordable housing, mental health services, and other public health programs.

Funds are also used to cover the costs of regulating the industry, which accounts for a small fraction of cannabis tax revenues. A portion of marijuana tax revenues collected by the state is also shared with local governments.

Pot Taxes Help But Aren’t ‘Fiscal Panacea’

Brian Vicente, a co-author of Amendment 64 and founding partner of Vicente Sederberg, said in a press release that while they cannot be relied upon to solve all of a state’s fiscal woes, cannabis industry taxes are being used to improve Colorado.

“We were never under the illusion that legalization would be a fiscal panacea, but we knew it would have a substantial and positive impact,” Vicente said. “Funds are being used on everything from building schools to hiring school health professionals and paying for bullying prevention programs.”

Mason Tvert co-directed the Amendment 64 campaign and now serves as vice president of communications at VS Strategies, the public affairs consulting affiliate of Vicente Sederberg. He said that the majority of states that still prohibit commercial cannabis sales can take a lesson from Colorado’s experience.

“Generating tax revenue is not the only reason or even the best reason to regulate cannabis,” said Tvert. “But when those revenues start adding up to more than $1 billion, as they have in Colorado, it’s a pretty attractive bonus. It’s crazy to think how much money states are flushing down the toilet by keeping marijuana in an illegal market.”

TO READ MORE OF THIS ARTICLE ON HIGH TIMES, CLICK HERE.

https://hightimes.com/news/colorado-cannabis-tax-revenues-top-1-billion/

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weedconsortium2 · 5 years

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NEW YORK — Vicente Sederberg LLP, one of the nation’s leading cannabis law firms, announced Thursday it has opened an office in Manhattan. The firm is headquartered in Denver and also has offices in Boston, Jacksonville, and Los Angeles. Two seasoned attorneys have joined VS to co-manage the New York office and expand the firm’s ability to assist clients with cannabis regulations in New York and New Jersey. They also strengthen the VS Corporate Practice Group, adding litigation and arbitration as practice areas:

Elliot Choi, counsel, advises clients on corporate transactions involving licensed and ancillary cannabis companies, adding depth to VS’s M&A roster. He also advises clients on marijuana and hemp licensing, regulatory, and compliance matters, with a focus on the New York and New Jersey cannabis markets. Previously, Mr. Choi was a corporate associate in the New York offices of Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman LLP and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where he represented clients from a broad range of industries in connection with various corporate transactions and general corporate matters. He received an A.B. from Princeton University and a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Jennifer M. Cabrera, counsel, boasts more than a dozen years of experience in international dispute resolution and will assist VS in expanding its practice areas to include litigation and arbitration. She also advises clients on regulatory, corporate, and cross-border issues relating to cannabis and hemp. Ms. Cabrera’s experience includes working in the New York office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, managing a boutique law firm, and serving as adjunct faculty at the law schools of Duke, Fordham, and St. John’s universities. She holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and an LL.M. from the University of Cambridge.

“New York, New Jersey, and other Mid-Atlantic states appear poised to end prohibition and expand their regulated cannabis markets,” said Charles Alovisetti, a partner at VS and chair of its Corporate Practice Group. “VS is well-positioned to advise clients on the evolving state medical cannabis programs in the region, while also assisting with efforts to pass broader legalization laws in 2020. Our new team members will be key to assisting our clients with their M&A and litigation needs, in addition to providing guidance on the evolving cannabis regulatory landscapes in New York and New Jersey.” About Vicente Sederberg LLP:

Vicente Sederberg LLP (https://VicenteSederberg.com) is one of the nation’s leading firms focused on cannabis law and policy. It offers a full suite of services for all types of marijuana and hemp businesses, ancillary businesses, investors, trade associations, and governmental bodies. Since its founding in 2010, VS has helped shape marijuana and hemp laws and policies across the U.S. and around the world. It has also assisted clients in obtaining cannabis business licenses in 21 states and dozens of localities.

The post National Cannabis Law Firm Vicente Sederberg LLP Opens New York Office, Strengthens Corporate Team With Two New Attorneys appeared first on CBD Oil Vape Liquid Spray - Cbd Pain Relief Capsules - Weed Consortium.

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cannabisbusinessexecutive · 6 years

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NCIA Co-Founder Joins Cannabis Trade Federation Leadership Team

The Cannabis Trade Federation (CTF) will introduce its leadership team shortly and CBE has learned that National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) co-founder Steve Fox, President of VS Strategies, has resigned his position as a strategic advisor to NCIA’s DC lobbying efforts, after only 8 months, to join CTF’s leadership team. VS Strategy’s sister company, Vicente Sederberg and its co-founder…

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#Cannabis Trade Federation #Heather Azzi #Linda Mercado Greene #Neal Levine #Steve Fox

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maisruth · 7 years

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Pipe Dreams: Bitcoin Won't Solve Pot Industry's Banking Problem

Pipe Dreams: Bitcoin Won’t Solve Pot Industry’s Banking Problem

Charles Alovisetti is a senior associate and co-chair of the corporate department at Vicente Sederberg LLC, and works with legal cannabis businesses in the U.S.

In this opinion piece, Alovisetti warns such enterprises to be wary of using bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies as a solution to the pot industry’s continued difficulty obtaining or keeping bank accounts (a familiar problem for blockchain…

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cryptoga-blog · 7 years

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Pipe Goals: Bitcoin Will not likely Resolve Pot Industry's Banking Trouble

http://www.cryptoga.com/news/pipe-goals-bitcoin-will-not-likely-resolve-pot-industrys-banking-trouble/

Pipe Goals: Bitcoin Will not likely Resolve Pot Industry's Banking Trouble

Charles Alovisetti is a senior associate and co-chair of the company division at Vicente Sederberg LLC, and will work with authorized cannabis organizations in the U.S.

In this view piece, Alovisetti warns this kind of enterprises to be cautious of making use of bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies as a alternative to the pot industry’s ongoing trouble acquiring or holding bank accounts (a acquainted challenge for blockchain startups.)

Just one of the key worries going through authorized cannabis organizations is lack of steady access to banking providers. Numerous cannabis organizations do have banking accounts, but the sword of Damocles dangles earlier mentioned them, normally threatening an unappealable termination of an account.

Enter electronic currencies, which assure an stop run around a cautious money procedure. There is a good deal of pleasure in the cannabis market about the alternatives with regards to bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

But prior to the cannabis market receives carried away with pictures of cannabis organizations sidestepping hostile federal banking regulators, we need to have to get a really hard glimpse at the potential of electronic currencies.

Different prescriptions

Just one system that’s been pushed is for cannabis organizations to get an existing electronic currency and simply just use it as a approach of transacting organization to keep away from the need to have to depend on banks.

This way, cannabis companies devoid of bank accounts could get rid of the need to have to operate in funds, alternatively accepting payment immediately from clients or other organizations in electronic currency – whilst converting electronic currency into dollars will however call for a bank account.

A further doable use of electronic currencies would be to create a new token, frequently referred to as an application coin, protocol token, or altcoin, specifically for the cannabis market. Again, the target would be to minimize or get rid of the use of funds and integrate blockchain know-how into the compliance and other desires of cannabis organizations.

Finally, some organization offer bitcoin-primarily based payment processing providers. These providers make it possible for clients to buy bitcoin through a credit or debit card and then buy a cannabis product or service with the lately obtained bitcoin. The retail store then converts the bitcoin again into dollars. The plan is to give an choice to classic payment processing providers and credit card companies that will not function with cannabis organizations.

Harsh realities

Even so, regulators current a actual and current menace to cryptocurrencies as they at this time exist for case in point, latest Chinese regulatory restrictions have noticed the closure of platforms allowing for individuals to get or promote tokens.

And these threats come to be even extra important for electronic currencies servicing cannabis-linked organizations (“MRBs” in the parlance of the Economic Crimes Enforcement Community of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, or FinCEN).

As longtime CoinDesk visitors will recall, in March 2013, FinCEN posted its first direction on virtual currencies. The company defined 3 classes of contributors: customers, exchangers and administrators. A person is “a man or woman that obtains virtual currency to buy products or providers,” whereas an exchanger is “a man or woman engaged as a organization in the exchange of virtual currency for actual currency, funds, or other virtual currency” and an administrator is “a man or woman engaged as a organization in issuing (putting into circulation) a virtual currency, and who has the authority to redeem (to withdraw from circulation) this kind of virtual currency.”

FinCEN concluded that, barring any unique exemption, exchangers and administrators are dollars services organizations (MSBs) and as this kind of are issue to FinCEN registration and the framework of the Lender Secrecy Act (BSA), which was built to assist FinCEN’s investigations of prospective felony exercise.

Subsequent administrative rulings have clarified that FinCEN considers electronic currency exchanges, ATM operators, and payment processors to be exchangers inside the agency’s tripartite framework.

On the cannabis side of the equation, it is important to be aware that, whilst cannabis stays unlawful federally, the market in the U.S. exists in its recent variety due to the fact it is tolerated pursuant to federal plan, as set forth in the Cole Memo (place out by the Department of Justice on Aug. 29, 2013).

The Cole Memo states that whilst cannabis stays unlawful federally, federal regulation enforcement really should not take into consideration prosecution of point out-authorized cannabis organizations if individuals organization do not implicate any of 8 enumerated enforcement priorities (e.g. protecting against income from the sale of cannabis from likely to felony enterprises and protecting against point out-authorized cannabis exercise from staying used as a include or pretext for the trafficking of other unlawful drugs or unlawful exercise).

A powerful brew

Though it is unfair to associate all electronic currency use with illicit exercise, there is a notion, strengthened by specific bad actors, that electronic currencies are staying used to launder dollars, divert income to felony enterprises and targeted visitors illicit drugs. Any chance that a organization could be noticed as violating the Cole Memo priorities desires to be handled extremely significantly as it could provoke a federal regulation enforcement action.

Though the Cole Memo tackled violations of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), it was silent as to money crimes that would inevitably final result from the use or banking of proceeds of a federally unlawful exercise. In reaction to money institutions’ problems with regards to accepting MRBs as clients, on Feb. 14, 2014, in two memos frequently referred to as the “Valentine’s Day Letters,” the Department of Justice and FinCEN each outlined their respective attitudes to dollars laundering problems linked to the violations of the CSA.

The FinCEN memo contained thorough pointers on how to give banking providers to an MRB whilst remaining compliant with the BSA. These pointers bundled the obligation to file various kinds of suspicious exercise studies (SARs) in reaction to exercise on the section of an MRB. The new DOJ memo up-to-date the earlier Cole Memo to increase the realm of non-priority violations to consist of provisions of the dollars laundering statutes, the unlicensed dollars remitter statute and the BSA triggered by fundamental violations of the CSA.

But the DOJ reiterated that any physical exercise of discretion with regards to its sources was issue to the provision of providers to an MRB whose activities do not set off any of the 8 priority things. The DOJ also observed that next the FinCEN direction was significant to remaining inside the reduced enforcement priority category of the Cole Memo.

Again, FinCEN has also designed it very clear BSA compliance obligations also implement to numerous organizations dealing in electronic currencies – exchanges, ATM operators and payment processors are all demanded to sign up as MSBs. That usually means that to comply with the Cole Memo and FinCEN’s cannabis plan direction, any electronic currency organization that is demanded to sign up as an MSB have to make the demanded SAR studies outlined in the Feb. 14, 2014, FinCEN direction.

Just say no

When it comes to cannabis companies making use of cryptocurrencies, discretion really should continue being the far better section of valor.

The cannabis market in the U.S. exists exclusively thanks to permissive federal procedures that call for organizations to adhere to specific pointers, including filings SARs with FinCEN. If these pointers are not staying followed to the letter, which is a difficult and sometimes onerous process, a organization is no lengthier inside the direction of the Cole Memo and is at greater chance of going through federal regulation enforcement action.

And even if these pointers are religiously adhered to, whilst FinCEN-compliant use of electronic currencies is not explicitly prohibited by federal plan, their use is sometimes linked by regulation enforcement with dollars laundering, illicit drug revenue and other unlawful activities.

As these crimes are shown as prevention priorities in the Cole Memo, electronic currency use could probably give an justification for Legal professional Normal Jeff Classes (no enthusiast of authorized cannabis) to crack down on point out-authorized pot enterprises.

Cannabis developing impression by Shutterstock

The chief in blockchain information, CoinDesk strives to offer an open up system for dialogue and dialogue on all factors blockchain by encouraging contributed content. As this kind of, the opinions expressed in this article are the author’s possess and do not automatically mirror the view of CoinDesk.

For extra specifics on how you can post an view or evaluation article, view our Editorial Collaboration Guide or e mail [email protected].

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kodiguidescreator · 7 years

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Pipe Dreams: Bitcoin Won't Solve Pot Industry's Banking Problem

Pipe Dreams: Bitcoin Won’t Solve Pot Industry’s Banking Problem

Charles Alovisetti is a senior associate and co-chair of the corporate department at Vicente Sederberg LLC, and works with legal cannabis businesses in the U.S.

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#Banking #FinCEN #Marijuana #Regulation

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bestmarijuanaboutiques · 5 years

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Cannabis Law Firm Vincente Sederberg Advertising 6 New Positions

New Post has been published on https://bestmarijuanaboutiques.com/?post_type=wprss_feed_item&p=23824

Cannabis Law Firm Vincente Sederberg Advertising 6 New Positions

Current openings

Compliance Specialist

Boston, MA

Full-time

Vicente Sederberg is the Marijuana Law Firm – Shaping the Laws, Connecting the Players and Building an Industry. The attorneys specialize in marijuana law and policy development and share expertise with stakeholders in this new, ever-changing regulatory environment. They advise businesses in new opportunities, state applications, licenses, corporate formation & restructuring, employment contracts, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial real estate, dispute resolution, with a specialization in compliance. For businesses and individuals, they offer criminal, civil and administrative representation. The firm serves local, state, federal and foreign governments in drafting legislation and regulations.

This position provides support to the Compliance Manager with a variety of compliance program administration and related tasks.

Vicente Sederberg offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision and Life, AD&D, Short Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance coverages 100% paid for by Vicente Sederberg for all of our full-time employees. We also offer a 401k with 4% company match, paid time off, paid sick time, fitness membership reimbursement, and paid parental leave!

Responsibilities of our Compliance Specialist include but are not limited to:

Review client Standard Operating Procedures to ensure compliance with the state regulations and guidance at the direction of the Compliance Manager and Attorneys.

Assist the Compliance Manager to build the compliance program including compliance classrooms and ongoing training programs based on industry developments and trends in enforcement actions.

Keeping updated on regulatory developments as well as evolving best practices in compliance.

Conduct compliance reviews for marijuana and marijuana products packaging and labeling and marketing and advertising.

Conduct on-site facility audits for operational compliance, inspection preparation and best practices for a compliant operation.

Assist clients with implementation of best practices for audits, inventory control, security requirements and facility design to allow for an efficient and compliant operation.

Prepare compliance checklists, training materials, and documents to support compliant client operations.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree required.

Regulatory and compliance experience preferred but not required.

Experience with Microsoft Office Suite.

Ability to work independently and with professional discretion.

Must have strong interpersonal skills, ability to work with clients, the public and individuals at all levels of the organization in a positive, collaborative manner.

Exceptional organization skills, strong self-motivator with high attention to detail.

Excellent time and deadline management skills in fast paced environment, able to juggle multiple projects and reprioritize quickly and efficiently.

Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Must be able to uphold highest standards of discretion and confidentiality and exercise good judgment on day-to-day decisions.

Additional Qualifications:

An analytical mind able to “see” the complexities of procedures and regulations and their application to business operations.

Familiarity with industry practices and professional standards.

Experience working with administrative or regulatory agency in a highly regulated industry.

Experience writing and editing manuals and/or reports.

Qualified applicants please send your cover letter, resume and salary requirements to be considered.

Vicente Sederberg is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color national origin, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.

Licensing Specialist Assistant Denver, CO • Full-time https://www.indeedjobs.com/vicente-sederberg-llc/jobs/bf63d30a5d94d4db3859

Executive Assistant Denver, CO • Full-time

https://www.indeedjobs.com/vicente-sederberg-llc/jobs/db11a5b763ad2dcdaabb

Collections Manager Denver, CO • Full-time https://www.indeedjobs.com/vicente-sederberg-llc/jobs/162f54e711cf39c5fd62

Corporate Associate Los Angeles, CA • Full-time

https://www.indeedjobs.com/vicente-sederberg-llc/jobs/6df068799d7fc68ba294

FDA/Regulatory Attorney Washington, DC • Full-time

https://www.indeedjobs.com/vicente-sederberg-llc/jobs/b005aed1c96f214a0327

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bestmarijuanaboutiques · 5 years

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National Cannabis Law Firm Vicente Sederberg LLP Opens New York Office, Strengthens Corporate Team With Two New Attorneys

New Post has been published on https://bestmarijuanaboutiques.com/?post_type=wprss_feed_item&p=23527

National Cannabis Law Firm Vicente Sederberg LLP Opens New York Office, Strengthens Corporate Team With Two New Attorneys

Two seasoned attorneys have joined VS to co-manage the New York office and expand the firm’s ability to assist clients with cannabis regulations in New York and New Jersey. They also strengthen the VS Corporate Practice Group, adding litigation and arbitration as practice areas:

About Vicente Sederberg LLP:

#Array

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weedconsortium2 · 5 years

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CLR is pleased to announce we have a new correspondent reporting regularly from the front lines in Florida. We rarely see informed and investigative articles either from the Florida press or law firms so we’re very pleased indeed to have Heather onboard to guide us through the complexities of what’s happening in the state. In this, her first article for CLR, she highlights for us who’s who and what’s what with regard to medical cannabis in the state. If you intend to work in Florida we’d suggest her work is a must read to start understanding what’s happening there.

Lighting Up Florida’s Medical Marijuana PEOPLE: The Front Lines

For those of you in the dark about Florida’s Medical Marijuana Program, I will be lighting up the dim corners of Florida: The Nation’s Fastest-Growing Medical Marijuana Market, according to The Miami New Times on May 2, 2019.

First and foremost, I’ll highlight the patient perspective, patients like myself who are legally registered State of Florida Medical Marijuana active ID cardholders. I am a medical patient in Florida’s Medical Marijuana Use Registry due my qualifying condition: a 2010 diagnosis of aggressive Multiple Sclerosis.

Luckily for me, Florida passed constitutional Amendment 2 in November 2016 which allows Multiple Sclerosis, along with many other chronic and debilitating qualifying conditions as eligible for compassionate care, meaning diagnosed patients would be allowed by Florida to receive a medical marijuana recommendation from a qualified Florida physician and products from a licensed Florida dispensary; these dispensaries must strictly adhere to Florida’s seed-to-shelf vertical integration business model.

As for me, one minute I’m teaching as usual for the University of West Florida as I had every day for the past thirteen years, and the next, my life was abruptly and irrevocably disrupted that hot day in August when my vision began fading on the periphery and my left side began feeling numb, clumsy, unusable. The rest is, well, my everyday present.

I am a legal Florida medical marijuana patient since January 2017, as well as a patient educator and vocal advocate. Since then, my quality of life has increased dramatically, both mentally and physically. Even my doctors and specialists are amazed at my progress!

As such, I am representative of the face of medical marijuana in Florida, one of 234,204 qualified active patients with ID cards as of June 21, 2019. Did I mention that we only have 2,321 of those “Florida qualified physicians” for the ever-expanding lot of us? Whew!

There is some help in sight, though. In May 2019, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried announced that a newly-created and appointed Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee of 18 doctors, lawyers, patients, industry leaders, and advocates will be implemented in order to “advance and modernize policies” to move Florida into the future of medical marijuana.

Fried also strongly delivered a message that could have been taken straight out of my own mouth: “This is a plant that not only improves people’s quality of life, it’s an alternative to sometimes-dangerous pharmaceuticals and addictive opioids.” She further directly advises that cannabis, or marijuana, is a medicine that an overwhelming majority of Floridians voted for and are constitutionally guaranteed access to as a therapeutic medicine.

I know. I used to be a pharmaceutical statistic of opiate and controlled substance pain medications, alongside 25 other Multiple Sclerosis symptom-fighting medications for seven long years..

But triumphantly, since 2019, we now have exciting cannabis news exploding on the front lines every day as Florida boldly moves into their future of medical marijuana. From the June announcement that edibles are finally beginning production and sales in Florida, to the March passage into law of the legality of a patient’s rights to smokable cannabis flower, all the way to the quest for SOPs for equipment, labs, and dispensaries to facilitate the evolution and stabilization of consistency, safety, and efficacy in both products and in patient access and affordability by a brave new Advisory Committee.

If Florida plans to increase its medical marijuana program through new legislative policies and marijuana dispensary standardized procedures, how exactly do we attempt to accomplish this?

Florida plans to help close the existing gaps and get patients and the state across the existing, prohibitive Drug War bridges, with Florida’s appointment of a 2019 inaugural group:

18 Member Medical Marijuana Advisory who will collaborate with the Florida Department of Agriculture to help improve the state’s medical marijuana regulations and policies through membership by the following individuals:

Kim Rivers

Rivers serves as the CEO of Trulieve and has 12 years of experience running successful businesses from real estate to finance as well as years in private practice as a lawyer, specializing in mergers, acquisitions, and securities for multi-million dollar companies.

Barry Gordon, MD

Gordon is one of Florida’s most experienced medical cannabis providers. He is the owner and Chief Medical Officer of the Compassionate Cannabis Clinic.

David Kotler

Kotler is a partner in Cohen Kotler P.A. and is Of Counsel to Hoban Law Group in Denver, Colorado, where he’s worked on legal issues pertaining to cannabis and hemp.

Dr. Michelle Weiner

Dr. Weiner is certified in Interventional Pain Management and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She researches substituting cannabis for opioids in chronic pain management at Nova Southeastern University and Florida International University.

Zachary Kobrin

Kobrin has served as General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer for a multinational cannabis company and Florida MMTC and currently advises cannabis and hemp industry clients on legal, regulatory and business development issues.

Dan Russell

As an attorney with Dean, Mead & Dunbar, Russell represented one of the initial cannabis dispensing organizations in Florida and continues to represent clients involved in all aspects of legal cannabis.

Dr. David B. Corn

Dr. Corn specializes in podiatry and founded Western Massachusetts Podiatry Associates, PC. He was one of the first medical professionals certified to participate in the Massachusetts medical marijuana program.

Cameron Vance, Ph.D.

Dr. Vance is co-founder and Chief Information Officer at Medical Marijuana Treatment Clinics of Florida where he works with physicians and patients to improve quality of care and patient outcomes.

Sally Kent Peebles

Peebles is a partner at Vicente Sederberg LLP, a national firm specializing in cannabis law and policy. She practiced with the firm in Denver, Colorado before returning to Florida to open the firm’s Jacksonville office.

Jacel Delgadillo

Delgadillo, whose son suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a catastrophic form of epilepsy, co-founded the federal nonprofit CannaMoms to help other children like hers and raise awareness on the benefits of medical cannabis.

Eric Stevens

Stevens worked to legalize medical marijuana in Massachusetts before helping to lead the 2014 and 2016 efforts to legalize medical marijuana in Florida. He is currently the Director of Business Development at Kaycha Group, which owns and operates EVIO Labs Florida, ISO accredited cannabis testing labs, and the MJ Buddy App.

Mike Smuts

Smuts is a cannabis industry professional with operations leadership experience across all divisions of several vertically integrated businesses in Colorado and Florida.

Ron Watson

Watson founded a full-service governmental affairs firm focused on healthcare and medical cannabis. He is also the Director of Governmental Relations for MuV, a Florida-based medical cannabis company and was recently the Executive Director of the Florida Society of Cannabis Physicians, which closed after losing its bank.

Antoinette Duncan

Duncan is the President and CEO of Duncan Life Sciences. She has 13 years of experience working with top pharmaceutical, medical device, and cannabis companies, and is currently a member of the ASTM D37 Technical Committee for Cannabis and Minorities for Medical Marijuana.

15, Peter Barsoom

Prior to founding 1906, an edibles company, Barsoom had an extensive career in finance and business strategy, holding senior management positions at leading institutions including American Express, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, BlueMountain Capital and Intercontinental Exchange. He serves on the board of numerous leading cannabis industry associations including the Marijuana Industry Group, Colorado Leads, and the New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association.

Paul Messer

Messer is a Parkinson’s Disease patient who is retired from the contract furniture industry and holds a master’s degree in social work.

Karen Seeb Goldstein

Goldstein serves as the Executive Director of NORML of and Vice Chairman of Regulate Florida.

18, Elaine Geller

Geller is the Vice President of Legislative Affairs at Amercanex, a member of the Congressional Cannabis Coalition, and of CanLab. Geller’s work focuses on cannabis policy development at the state and federal levels.

This Committee is part of Florida’s Cannabis >Medical Marijuana Division in the Department of Agriculture. The Committee will convene telephonically and in-person bimonthly to develop ways and methods to expand patient access and affordability, increase innovation and technology within the cannabis industry, and to make recommendations to the Legislature and the Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU)

Who will organize and oversee this committee, you ask?

Florida Director of Cannabis: Meet Florida’s New Director of Cannabis: Holly Bell

Read her RESUME here from February 2019

Meet Florida’s “Mother of Marijuana” interview on May 2, 2019

Who will this committee make recommendations to other than the Florida State Legislature? Who else is listening intently?

Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use, or OMMU, provides Weekly Updates every Friday.

This Office is part of Florida’s Department of Health.

Who will appoint, amend, manage and provide oversight to this Advisory Committee, the Director of Cannabis, and to the Office of Medical Marijuana Use?

Department of Florida Agriculture: Meet Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Nicole “Nikki” Fried and Shelby Scarpa, Florida Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture

Glossary of Marijuana Terminology via CannaInsider.com and Americans for Safe Access.org

References: Department of Agriculture press releases in Sunshine State News, The Miami New Herald, Florida Politico, and the Florida Department of Agriculture’s Fresh From Florida News

Coming Soon Article: Lighting Up Florida’s Medical Marijuana PEOPLE: The Medics

Contact Heather

Heather Allman

B.A.Ed., M.A, University of West Florida

Non-Profit Founder: Allman Education, medicalcannabis101.org

Location: Pensacola, Florida, USA

Phone: 1-850-287-2509

Web: http://medicalcannabis101.org

Twitter and Instagram: @allmaneducation

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Linked In: http://linked.in/in/heatherjallman

Heather Allman Biography

Heather Allman

Heather has worked in the education, writing, and textbook reviewing industries for 22 years. For over a decade, Heather worked for the State of Florida as a multidisciplinary Faculty Instructor at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida in the English, Communication Arts, and Honors Departments. During this time, she presented at the 1998 American Literature Association Annual Conference and she regularly contributed to and reviewed textbooks for such publishers as Cengage, McGraw-Hill, Longman, Pearson, Prentice-Hall, Contemporary Learning and Thomson-Wadsworth.

When no existing professors volunteered for the monumental task, Heather pioneered the burgeoning online course program for the University of West Florida after training on 2 separate course platforms. She began by creating content and curriculum for Professional Writing courses which enrolled 100 students per semester in conjunction with the English Department, and she eventually executed a hybrid 50 student course in Interpersonal Communication jointly with the Communication Arts Department which required an in-person, live public speaking conponent in addition to their required online coursework: a new online course framework completely designed by Heather for the University.

After early retirement from UWF due to her diagnosis of aggressive Multiple Sclerosis in 2010, Heather became an independent Medical Cannabis researcher, educator, personal consultant, and vocal advocate. She also worked with Florida For Care as a Northwest Florida Outreach Coordinator, gathering petition signatures for the 2016 Florida Constitutional Ammendment 2 that overwhelmingly legalized medical marijuana throughout the state for patients like Heather.

Since 2014, she has worked tirelessly to advocate, educate, and raise awareness about medical cannabis and its therapeutic medicinal use over standard pharmaceuticals. Heather currently works as a medical cannabis researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and community outreach liaison. She actively participates with the efforts of the U.S. Pain Foundation, the Florida Cannabis Advocacy Network, Americans for Safe Access, Drug Policy Alliance, and the Law Enforcement Action Partnership.

In 2018, Heather subsequently founded Florida’s first independent non-profit medical marijuana educational website Allman Education: <MedicalCannabis101.org> in order to educate, spread awareness, and illuminate Florida’s complex legal medical marijuana rules, news, and regulations in her unique radically honest, audience adaptive, well-rounded manner. She is a passion-driven, inquisitive listener and adept interviewer with the goal of starting a medical cannabis podcast in the near future.

She works as a volunteer with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s “Walk MS” annual campaign to fundraise and always participates in the walk in April. Heather also acts as a Junior Pain Ambassador with the U.S. Pain Foundation, a national chronic pain advocacy organization, with their “End Pain. Not Lives.” campaign.

She operates on the principle of radical compassion in her daily life and practices what she deems “Medical Marijuana C.A.R.E.” in that she strives to Communicate, Advocate, Relate, and Educate both the community and the general public in all that she endeavors.

The post Lighting Up Florida’s Medical Marijuana PEOPLE: The Front Lines appeared first on CBD Oil Vape Liquid Spray - Cbd Pain Relief Capsules - Weed Consortium.

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Sen. Cory Gardner: How a Prohibitionist Became Legalization’s Defender

Dave Schmader of Leafly Reports:

Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner has emerged as the grand champion of cannabis legalization on Capitol Hill in the summer of 2018. It is not a role the rising Republican has been groomed for.

Yesterday morning, Gardner and Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts introduced the Senate version of the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Entrusting States (STATES) Act, a measure that could end the decades-long federal war on marijuana and cannabis legalization. Rep. David Joyce (R-OH) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) co-sponsored the House version of the bill.

Cory Gardner is young, energetic, and well-liked on both sides of the aisle. And he's evolved on cannabis along with his fellow Coloradans.

The bill’s introduction came via a quartet of Congress members, but Gardner is widely viewed as the driving force behind the STATES Act. And that may be one of the story’s biggest surprises. Just a few years ago, nobody would have pegged this conservative Republican with roots in rural farming as the one who finally (maybe) broke the framework of federal cannabis prohibition.

The more you know about his personal and political background, the more unlikely the whole thing seems.

RELATED STORY FAQ: What the STATES Act Would Do, and Why It’s a Game-Changer

Deep Roots in Colorado

A fifth-generation Coloradan raised on the agricultural plains of Eastern Colorado, Gardner was brought up in a family that sold agricultural implements to the farmers of the Great Plains. As his official bio states, “he lives in the same house his great-grandparents lived in.”

He’s an alum of both of the state’s rival state universities. Gardner graduated summa cum laude from Colorado State University and received his law degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. After working at his family’s farm implements company, he took a job for a few years with the National Corn Growers Association before signing on as a legislative assistant for Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO), eventually advancing to become Allard’s legislative director. So he knows how to move legislation through Congress.

Gardner was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Colorado state legislature in 2005, then won the seat outright in 2006. He was elected to Congress in 2010, representing Colorado’s rural eastern plains.

In 2014, he was the first challenger in decades to win against an incumbent senator in Colorado when he defeated Democratic Sen. Mark Udall.

Sharp Mind, Keen Politician

A youngish senator (he’s 43) who’s well-liked on both sides of the aisle, Gardner has quickly gained a high political profile in Congress. He serves on a number of senate committees and is currently chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, which deals with many North Korean issues.

'He understands how this political environment works, where the temperature of the public is on certain issues,' a former colleague told Leafly.

A former colleague of Gardner points to his ability to quickly analyze and judge issues.

“His political acumen is outstanding,” said Tim Dore, an attorney and former Republican member of the Colorado House of Representatives, who worked with Gardner from his early career as a state representative and up through his rise to the Senate.

“He understands how this political environment works,” Dore told Leafly, “where the temperature of the public is on certain issues, where his constituency is, where the loyalists of his party are.”

Anti-Cannabis Until Recently

As the Washington Post noted, Gardner has a “staunchly conservative voting record” that includes opposition to the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. He also received an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association.

Even after Colorado voters legalized the adult use of cannabis in 2012, Gardner remained firmly in the prohibitionist camp.

In 2013, then-Congressman Gardner sent a letter to then-U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, demanding to know why the Department of Justice decided to not interfere in state cannabis legalization laws – as laid out in the Cole Memo – while cannabis remained federally illegal.

“Do you believe the DOJ has the authority to override federal law?” Gardner wrote. “Do you believe you have the authority to change the law without the approval of Congress?”

At the time, Gardner framed his objections based on the possibility of states overriding other federal laws in the wake of the DOJ’s decision.

RELATED STORY With Trump’s Support, STATES Act Could End Nationwide Cannabis Prohibition

The Shock of the Cole Memo Kill

And it appears the issue of states’ rights played a major role in Senator Gardner’s turnaround on cannabis legalization this past January. That’s when Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he was rescinding the Cole Memo, a move that sent shock waves throughout the legal cannabis industry.

When Jeff Sessions scuttled the Cole Memo, Sen. Gardner emerged as Colorado's cannabis defender.

Senator Gardner quickly and unexpectedly jumped into the issue, denouncing the attorney general’s decision.

“This reported action directly contradicts what Attorney General Sessions told me prior to his confirmation,” he tweeted in response. “With no prior notice to Congress, the Justice Department has trampled on the will of the voters in CO and other states.”

The senator then went on to make national headlines with an angry speech on the Senate floor.

‘This Is About Colorado’

During that speech Gardner said he understood the attorney general’s opposition to marijuana, and that he had opposed cannabis in his home state. “But this is about a decision by the state of Colorado,” he said, “and we were told that states’ rights would be protected.”

Gardner then declared that he would put a hold on every Justice Department nomination until Sessions’ decision was reversed.

And after Gardner blocked Senate floor votes on several Trump nominees to the DOJ, the White House finally blinked. In mid-April Sen. Gardner announced that President Trump had assured him that his administration “will support a federalism-based legislative solution to fix this states’ rights issue once and for all.”

Evolving Like His Voters

So how does an old-school conservative GOP politician evolve so dramatically on cannabis legalization, to the point where he is now co-sponsor of a potentially historic bill on the issue?

Gardner: Young & in touch. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“Well, they always say politics makes strange bedfellows, right?” said Aaron Smith, co-founder and executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). “And with cannabis being the transpartisan issue that it is, that’s become even more true.”

Smith told Leafly that Senator Gardner’s evolution underscores how party lines no longer define where lawmakers stand on cannabis legalization. Both Democrats and Republicans, he said, are “seeing the same polling data that we’re seeing,” that shows a growing support for cannabis legalization among Americans.

“Privately, all sorts of conversations are happening, I’m sure,” he added. “But there isn’t a big bloc of opposition pushing back against this, as there was a couple of years ago.”

In Touch With the Grassroots

One observer said Gardner’s support of cannabis was probably developed with an eye towards public opinion in his home state.

“He does not strike me as a marijuana champion,” said Sam Kamin, Vicente Sederberg Professor of Marijuana Law and Policy at the University of Denver.

“This seems to be sort of a constituent service. He knows that marijuana in popular in the state; that people, generally speaking, think that legalization went pretty well, and he doesn’t want to be on the wrong side of that.”

Despite Senator Gardner’s pro-cannabis stance, Kamin doubts the senator is an indicator of any major policy shift within the GOP.

“I don’t think we’re going to see the Republican Party take a lead on this,” he told Leafly, “although as a states’ rights issue that they should be out in front on it.”

“I think that it’s not something that appeals too much to their core demographic, but I think that they also know which way the wind is blowing. Support for marijuana legalization is at all-time highs and I think they will give into that, because they feel that they have to.”

Good Industry Actors Do Change Minds

Another major factor in Gardner’s evolution, said NCIA’s Aaron Smith, is that he has experience and exposure to the legal cannabis industry and understands that it’s been successful in his state.

“His legislation is not seeking to tell how other states should they should treat marijuana,” he added. “It’s just protecting the businesses and the voters who support these businesses in Colorado, and the other states that have those similar laws.”

For his part, Tim Dore sees the political rift on marijuana legalization as a mostly generational divide – with lawmakers like Cory Gardner representing younger politicians who aren’t afraid of cannabis.

Gardner, Dore told Leafly, is “an honest conservative who stands up for what is right, even if that means being up against the generation of leaders that are sometimes looking backwards instead of in the direction that we’re headed as a country.”

TO READ MORE OF THIS ARTICLE ON LEAFLY, CLICK HERE.

https://www.leafly.com/news/politics/sen-cory-gardner-how-a-prohibitionist-became-legalizations-defender

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