SCG Global Spinette: A Quick Update on the State of the Cannabis Industry
- scglegalsocial
- May 8
- 2 min read
Often talked about but less often understood, cannabis and its regulation (or lack thereof) are an evolving landscape that takes on different levels of use and complexity based on jurisdiction.
In this special Global Spinette, Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe Director Tom Downey – a regulatory attorney who previously served as Assistant Colorado Attorney General and Director of Excise and Licenses for Denver – offers a historical overview of how different cannabis regulations came to be in the U.S. (including one where Colorado led the way!), why the industry is where it is today (i.e., rescheduling failed), and what to keep an eye on in the immediate future (e.g., increases in breach of contract, employment, and eviction cases as well as arbitration opportunities in the face of ligation costs).
Record Date: May 2, 2025
Participant
Director | Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe (US: Colorado)
Tom Downey is a regulatory attorney and shareholder at Ireland Stapleton with significant experience as both a government official and a private practice attorney. Tom helps his clients navigate all aspects of regulatory law and is well-known for untangling complicated issues that are regulated by local, state, and federal agencies.
Additional Resource
FUN ‘FIRST’ CANNABIS FACTS BY CENTURY
1300s > 1378: Soudoun Sheikouni, the Emir of the Joneima in Arabia, outlawed the use of cannabis across his jurisdiction. Sheikouni's prohibition is one of the earliest, if not the earliest, attested cannabis ban in the world.
1700s > 1787: Madagascar's King Andrianampoinimerina took the throne, and soon after banned cannabis throughout the Merina Kingdom, implementing capital punishment as the penalty for its use.
1800s > 1800: Shortly following Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and concerned by his troops' smoking of hashish and drinking of cannabis-based beverages, he banned the drug and the establishments that provided it.
1900s > 1913: Jamaica banned cannabis with the Ganja Law, supported by the white ruling class and the Council of Evangelical Churches in Jamaica.
2000s
> 2001 | Europe: Luxembourg decriminalized cannabis.
> 2012 | U.S.: Recreational Legalization Begins. Colorado becomes the first of two states to legalize the recreational use of cannabis following the passage of Amendment 64 (drafted in 2011, presented/passed in 2012).
Source: Timeline of cannabis law
Comentários