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We’re building the one-stop, daily cannabis industry newsletter

November 20, 2023

Welcome to Cultivated Daily. We’re building the one-stop, daily cannabis industry newsletter for cannabis professionals and industry followers alike. 

For every story we include, we’ve asked ourselves two key questions: Do cannabis professionals and industry followers need to know this news? And, does the team at Cultivated have a unique, valuable, or interesting perspective? 

So, you know that everything here is curated by us. But that’s not all: We are going to continue the crucial reporting that our Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Berke has been producing over the past year. 

So get your inboxes ready for the only daily cannabis industry newsletter you need. 

Edited by Jay Rosenthal and Jeremy Berke

LAWSUIT
Bush v. Gore lawyer pushes the cannabis envelope

Source: Boies Schiller Flexner

What's happening?: David Boies, a renowned lawyer of Bush v. Gore fame (he was lead counsel for Team Gore), is leading the fight to legalize cannabis on a federal level. 

He recently filed a lawsuit against the federal government challenging the classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug. (Recall that the US Department of Health and Human Services recently recommended to the DEA that cannabis be rescheduled to Schedule 3.)

Jeremy interviewed one of the lawyers working on the case, Josh Schiller, earlier this month to understand the strategy. 

Why does it matter? If successful, this lawsuit could lead to the nationwide legalization of cannabis. This would have significant implications for the cannabis industry, potentially opening up banking, new markets, and an interstate cannabis trade, among other significant benefits.

Our take: This would be a significant development in the ongoing battle for cannabis legalization in the US. Boies' involvement lends serious credibility to the cause and could potentially be a major step forward for the cannabis industry.

What's next?: Well, lawsuits take time, especially when you’re suing the federal government. It’s hard to predict the outcome. But regardless of the result, this lawsuit is likely to ignite further discussions and debates about cannabis legalization.

SAY IT AIN’T SO
Snoop to give up smoke

Wait, what? Last week, Snoop Dogg posted on Instagram (to his 82.8 million followers) that he was giving up smoke. This obviously sent shockwaves through an industry that views Snoop as a patron saint.

The background: Snoop invests in cannabis companies. Snoop is the namesake of a cannabis brand. Snoop even talks openly about employing someone to roll blunts for him — a Chief Blunt Officer, if you will.

Rumor mill: While the Cultivated team always wishes Snoop Dogg well, we have to wonder - as many folks online have — if this is some sort of marketing ploy. Inquiring minds want to know — as well as all aspiring CBOs.

 

POLITICS
Senate Majority Leader talks cannabis with former NBAer

Driving the news: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently talked about the need to end the federal prohibition with former NBA player Al Harrington. 

He called cannabis prohibition 'antiquated' and said that he will do everything he can to push for federal reform. And for those keeping track, Schumer has been saying this to anyone who will listen for a long, long time, though to the Cultivated team, actions speak louder than words. 

What’s new?: Not much is new. And if you haven’t been following along at home, getting things moving on cannabis reform — or much of anything else — is challenging right now in DC, to say the least. So, while Schumer talks a good game, and has talked a good game, don’t hold your breath.

Schumer inhaled?: The podcast with Al Harrington did dive into some of Schumer’s background, including if he ever used cannabis. And while Schumer did say, “…I never have, because when I was in college, it was illegal. I didn't want too…” Sure, man. 

Also note that one of Schumer’s first political jobs was a volunteer on Eugene McCarthy’s Presidential campaign, in 1968. The same 1968 Presidential campaign where the former press secretary (allegedly) got the candidate to smoke.

What's next?: The big thing on the horizon is the 2024 election. Any conversation about what’s happening in Congress on cannabis must be viewed with the lens of the upcoming presidential election.