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.
May 1, 2020 by Omar Figueroa On April 30, 2020, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) released the proposed regulations for the OCal Program, a statewide certification program that will establish and enforce cannabis standards that are comparable-to-organic. (Given federal oversight over the United States Department of Agriculture […]
By Lauren Mendelsohn and Omar Figueroa March 21, 2020 On the evening of March 20, 2020, after requests from cannabis industry advocates (including our office), California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a document listing what the State Public Health Officer has designated as “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” who can continue operating during […]
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 […]
By Lauren Mendelsohn, Esq. January 10, 2020 On Friday, January 10, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his budget proposal for 2020-2021, which included some major changes related to cannabis industry taxation and regulation. The proposal seeks to consolidate California’s three cannabis licensing agencies (the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the […]
December 20, 2019 By Lauren Mendelsohn Earlier this week, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted to approve recommendations from the Cannabis Ad Hoc Committee regarding exploring changes to the county’s cannabis program. The committee’s presentation for the item can be viewed here. The motivation behind this was the fact […]
December 7, 2019 By Andrew Kingsdale California’s cannabis packaging laws have long required that cannabis and cannabis products be sold in “child-resistant” packaging, but through most of the past two years that requirement could be met by using either individual product packaging or exit package at retail sale. (Cal. Bus. […]
November 24, 2019 By Lauren Mendelsohn, Esq. On November 21, 2019 the California Department of Tax & Fee Administration (CDTFA) announced that the cannabis tax rates will be going up on January 1, 2020. Specifically, as of that date, the cannabis mark-up rate will go up to 80%, after being […]
By Lauren Mendelsohn, Esq. October 21, 2019 Directors of traditional corporations have a fiduciary duty to act in a way that is in the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders, which usually means doing whatever is legally possible to maximize shareholder wealth. This can sometimes put directors in […]
By Lauren Mendelsohn, October 14, 2019 Recently, the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved proposed regulations (Cal. Code of Regs., tit. 18, div. 2, §3700) from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) related to cannabis excise and cultivation taxes in California. On September 4, 2019 the new regulations […]
By Omar Figueroa & Lauren Mendelsohn October 9, 2019 [Updated 10/25/19] Utility company Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has announced a Public Safety Power Shutoff Event starting in the early hours of Wednesday, October 9, across many regions of California. It is anticipated that numerous licensed cannabis businesses across […]