Legal Insights

Capitalization Basics for Cannabis Startups
Rogoway Law Group

Capitalization Basics for Cannabis Startups

Startup founders often become swept up in the day-to-day on early product development and business development or other matters and may forget to pay adequate attention to initial company ownership and equity rights matters. It is nonetheless essential to document all equity issuances intended in real time, including documenting founders’ capitalization as soon as possible after entity formation.   A

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Mediation and Other Forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution for Cannabis Businesses
Rogoway Law Group

Mediation and Other Forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Perspective for Cannabis Businesses

Recently I attended an informative program on mediation hosted by the San Francisco Bar Association (the “BASF”). In this blog, I share a handful of the panelists’ excellent observations and offer up a few thoughts of my own about the value of well-managed alternative dispute resolution, especially mediation, to cannabis operators. What is Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”)? As you probably

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Financing Considerations for Startups and Early Stage Cannabis Businesses
Rogoway Law Group

Cannabis Startup 101: Financing Considerations for Early Stage Businesses

There are many considerations that come into play with financing early stage businesses, including how to budget appropriately for the business to be successful and how to structure capital raises, among other concerns. Budgeting With Risks In Mind Early stage companies – whether in the cannabis space or otherwise – often need more frequent infusions of capital than established businesses

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Here is What Senate Bill 67 Means for Cannabis Businesses with Expiring Temporary State Licenses
Rogoway Law Group

Senate Bill 67 and What it Means for Businesses with Expiring Temporary Cannabis Licenses

How Temporary Cannabis State Licenses Came About As part of the enactment of the legal California cannabis regime, the three state licensing agencies (the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the CA Department of Public Health, and the CA Department of Food and Agriculture) were granted authority to issue Temporary State Licenses during 2018, which allowed cannabis businesses to operate while they

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LA's two-part Phase III licensing process for Type 10 cannabis storefront dispensary applicants.
Rogoway Law Group

Los Angeles: Another Phase III Cannabis Business Licensing Update

On March 8, 2019, the Los Angeles City Council met and adopted the recent recommendations from the Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee (“Committee”) regarding updates to the Department of Cannabis Regulation’s (“DCR”) licensing process. By adopting the recommendations, City Council requested that the City Attorney, with the help of the DCR, prepare and present an ordinance that makes a

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Cannabis Cultivation in Protected Watersheds
Rogoway Law Group

What Commercial Cannabis Cultivators Need To Know About Regulations Surrounding Cultivation in Protected California Watersheds

It is essential for cannabis cultivators to be aware that their right to cultivate cannabis is NOT solely determined by their compliance with local regulations and submittal of a complete application to CalCannabis. Within the CalCannabis Regulations is a provision – Section 8216 – that allows for CalCannabis, in connection with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (“DFW”) and

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Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) Investing for Cannabis Businesses
Rogoway Law Group

The Tax Code Giveth and The Tax Code Taketh Away: The Perils of Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) Investing

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) added a community revitalization program to the tax code by providing incentives to taxpayers who invest capital gains in economically distressed areas. The program is designed to unlock billions of dollars in capital gains for investment in these areas, referred to as “Qualified Opportunity Zones.” Taxpayers who realize capital gains by

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Finance 101 for Cannabis Startups: Budgets, Forecasts, and Foibles
Rogoway Law Group

Finance 101 for Cannabis Startups: Budgets, Forecasts, and Foibles

It’s no mystery that startups struggle to manage their budgets and company financials.  More often than not, early-stage companies have inaccurate financial forecasts; the fiscal runway isn’t long enough, and the budget falls short. The task of creating a projection at the start of a company is generally difficult for many reasons, including that the estimates used in the forecast

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Incorporating your cannabis business as a C Corp in light of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA).
Rogoway Law Group

Double Taxation No More? Why C Corporations are Making a Comeback!

One of the perennial questions faced by taxpayers when forming a business is whether to incorporate it as a C Corporation or to form a flow-through entity such as an LLC, partnership, or S corporation. For most small business owners, the choice thus far has been a simple one: unless non-tax related considerations weighed heavily in favor of a C

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