Marijuana

The ineligibility of many cannabis companies for SBA loans seems particularly inequitable.

States have already adopted their own legal approaches to regulating hemp CBD products that are not necessarily consistent with the FDA’s.

Will the FDA cease its enforcement actions against hemp CBD companies?

But it turns out he's (mostly) right.

Weed law welcomes one of the largest law firms on the planet.

That's one way to get people's attention.

The Tax Court's majority decision dealt another blow to marijuana advocates trying to fight Section 280E.

The cannabis industry may be rolling along, but evolution of intellectual property rights in this industry are developing at a somewhat different pace.

* “You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart with spies and treason, right?” According to President Donald Trump, the person or people who gave information to the Ukraine whistleblower is “close to a spy,” and should be handled “a little differently than we do now.” Alrighty then! [New York Times]

* Not to worry, because Trump says, “There should be a way of stopping [the impeachment inquiry], maybe legally through the courts.” That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works. The Supreme Court cannot rescue you. [Reuters]

* In other news, according to sources, the whistleblower is reportedly a CIA officer who at one point was detailed to work at the White House and learned of Trump’s conduct “in the course of official interagency business.” [New York Times]

* Baker McKenzie recently elected Milton Cheng, its Hong Kong managing partner, as the firm’s next global chair. He will be the firm’s first Asian chair. Congratulations! [American Lawyer]

* Biglaw has been intently focused on diversity efforts among its associate and partner ranks, and now law firm professional staff are getting a chance to shine. To that end, Cooley plans to hire a manager dedicated to diversity and inclusion efforts just for staff. [Big Law Business]

* “Wendi Adelson had a problem, and that problem was Dan Markel. The solution to that problem was Magbanua, Rivera, and Garcia.” Opening statements in the Dan Markel murder trial got off to an interesting start, with the late law professor’s former in-laws playing a starring role. [Law.com]

* In case you missed it, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would allow banks to work with cannabis companies in states where it is legal. This is exciting news, so we should probably be prepared for it to die in the Senate. [Reuters]

* The LeClair Ryan dissolution enters a new chapter. But will it be Chapter 7? [American Lawyer]

* Alex Jones set to find out if it’s really defamation to tell the world that grieving parents are lying about their dead children. [Connecticut Law Tribune]

* America has the RBG Jabot-Watch, the UK has the Lady Hale Brooch-Watch. [Legal Cheek]

* Judge Preska did not seem convinced by the latest Dershowitz arguments. [The Careerist]

* Racist voting laws in the South are to be expected by everyone but Chief Justice Roberts, but usually they’re more subtle than this provision that Mississippi’s had for over a century. [NPR]

* Banks one step closer to actually cashing in on the marijuana economy. [Courthouse News Service]

* While everyone got distracted by impeachment, there are still “not qualified” judges streaming through the system. [Law360]

* Bill Cosby has to fork over some hefty funds to Quinn Emanuel. [The Recorder]

The subtle anti-pot initiative enters its dumbest stage.

You'd have to be high to give legal advice this bad.

Consider this another installment in "JD Advantage: Alternative Careers You Can Pursue With Your Degree."

* “In my 22 years of doing visits with children in detention I have never heard of this level of inhumanity.” Children being detained at the border are in desperate need of legal assistance and humanitarian aid. [NBC News]

* Disgraced former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice Roy Moore, a “polarizing [] Republican,” has decided to launch yet another Senate bid after losing during his first go round. This time, even President Trump warned him against trying again. [New York Times]

* Puff, puff, pass this vote: New York may not have been able to legalize marijuana, but lawmakers are trying to do the next best thing by decriminalizing it. Fines for “violations” will be no higher than $200 and last convictions can be expunged upon request. [New York Law Journal]

* In case you missed it, Slack had its IPO yesterday, opening at $38.50 a share. Goodwin Procter certainly didn’t miss it, because the firm is looking to earn $2.5 million for its work on the company’s stock market debut. [Big Law Business]

* Shaakirrah Sanders, a black female professor at Idaho Law, has filed suit against the school the university, and a former dean, alleging race and gender discrimination and retaliation. She is the only professor of color and woman of color who has earned tenure at the school. [Idaho Statesman]

* Legal experts seem somewhat concerned about Trump going on TV and inviting foreign intelligence agencies to intervene in the election. On behalf of the great George Bluth, I ask, “what’s wrong with a little light treason?” [Huffington Post]

* Michael Flynn has hired Sidney Powell, probably because she goes on Fox News to bash Mueller. Sounds like a perfect reason to fire Covington & Burling. Oh, and now Trump is hailing the move because his only grasp of legal talent is “appearing on TV.” [National Law Journal]

* Meanwhile, in the UK, a lawyer argues that vegans should be legally exempt from tea time. [Legal Cheek]

* “LawDude” lawyer buys Confederate statue for $1.4 million. It’s unknown if this purchase was for himself or as an agent for some unknown racist. [Dallas Morning News]

* Nevada brings marijuana laws to logical conclusion by preventing most employers from dinging people who test positive for it. [WIVB]

* Bryan Singer settles rape claim for $150K which sounds very much like a nuisance settlement. [The Wrap]

* Payday lender Scott Tucker is trying his “tribal sovereignty” defense again desperately hoping someone will join him in thinking “Kansas City” is on a reservation. [Law360]

The patchwork of marijuana laws across the U.S. has made this a confusing topic for just about everyone.

A patchwork of laws and the unique nature of the cannabis business require creativity, agility, and cyber-awareness by counsel.

Unfortunately, most of these are here to stay thanks to the Department of Justice and the Controlled Substances Act.

* Sorry, bro, but one of them doesn’t like beer anymore: The Tenth Circuit denied 20 appeals of its earlier decision to dismiss misconduct complaints against now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but this time, the panel was split, with one judge saying the “entire council should be disqualified.” [National Law Journal]

* “It’s not enough to legalize marijuana at the federal level — we should also help those who have suffered due to its prohibition.” If you’re a Democratic candidate running for president in 2020, you better be down with legalizing weed in the name of social justice. [New York Times]

* Preet Bharara, ex-U.S. attorney for the S.D.N.Y., knows his former coworkers could cause Trump trouble. They’re “very aggressive,” “very fearless,” “very independent,” and they don’t even “care about politics” — they’ll prosecute anyone. [NBC News]

* The National Women’s Hall of Fame recently announced its Class of 2019, and three lawyers of note were honored: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred, and Native American tribal law expert Sarah Deer. [AP]

* According to a new new report from Thomson Reuters and Acritas, there’s a “disheartening” lack of diversity in corporate legal departments. Given how “diverse” law firms are, this isn’t exactly shocking news to anyone. [Corporate Counsel]

We're very likely returning to the 2013 Cole Memo principles now that William Barr has been confirmed as AG -- and that's a good thing.