The Law Offices of Omar Figueroa is a boutique California law firm focusing on cannabis law. We fight for justice and human rights, and advocate passionately for our clients every step of the way.
By Lauren Mendelsohn October 7, 2021 Yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 45 (AB45), which has big implications for the hemp, CBD, and cannabis industries. The bill, sponsored by Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry, was an urgency measure, meaning it went into effect immediately upon the Governor’s signing. It adds […]
By Lauren Mendelsohn May 14, 2021 The recent settlement of a prominent cannabis company for making health-related claims about CBD products should serve as a reminder to cannabis and non-cannabis companies alike that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved CBD or THC as a […]
By Lauren Mendelsohn January 19, 2021 On Friday, January 15, 2021 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued its much-anticipated final rule on domestic hemp production. The final rule incorporates some key changes that industry stakeholders have been pushing for since the interim final rule was published in 2019. […]
By Lauren Mendelsohn September 27, 2020 Last week, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) notified the public that they have submitted the Golden State’s proposed regulatory plan for hemp production to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). California’s proposed hemp production plan, which consists of existing […]
April 29, 2020 by Lauren Mendelsohn Earlier this year, Sonoma County adopted an ordinance allowing industrial hemp cultivation with certain limitations. The Sonoma County Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures (“AWM”) began accepting registration applications to cultivate industrial hemp on April 16, 2020. The AWM can begin approving these applications […]
February 28, 2020 On February 27, 2020 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will temporarily hold off on enforcing two key aspects of the federal hemp production rules in response to feedback from stakeholders. In particular, producers will not be penalized if they don’t have their […]
By Lauren Mendelsohn January 11, 2020 (updated February 24, 2020) On Monday, February 10, 2020 the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) submitted proposed emergency regulations regarding industrial eligibility and registration for the state’s industrial hemp program to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL). Specifically, CDFA is proposing to […]
By Lauren Mendelsohn, Esq. January 14, 2020 (updated Feb. 4, 2020) On Monday, January 6, 2020, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors took a major step towards lifting the county’s moratorium on hemp cultivation by unanimously approving the first reading of an ordinance that would replace the current moratorium […]
December 18, 2019 By Lauren Mendelsohn Yesterday, the United States Department of Food & Agriculture (USDA) announced that it was extending the deadline to submit comments on its U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program interim final rule. We previously discussed the USDA’s interim final rule here and here. Comments must now […]
December 6, 2019 By Andrew Kingsdale On December 3, 2019, federal banking agencies released a joint statement clarifying requirements under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) for banks providing financial services to hemp growers. Because hemp is no longer a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act, banks are […]