Controlled Substances and Regulatory Law

Our attorneys earn their reputation every day by navigating a clear, results-driven legal path for our clients.

Controlled Substances and Regulatory Law

The Controlled Substances & Regulatory Law Practice Group has an in-depth understanding of the laws related to the production, sale, use, regulation, and legalization of controlled substances, including hemp, cannabis, and psychedelics. Controlled substances law remains a multifaceted and complex field with, at times, conflicting regulations from different governing bodies. Our attorneys are prepared to assist in all aspects of this emerging field and are committed to helping our clients understand their rights and the opportunities in this complex and evolving area of law.

We have an established record in the controlled substances space enabling us to serve our clients unlike any other local law firm.  By example, the firm co-hosted the first-ever Cannabis Symposium in New Jersey which drew nearly a thousand people (two other Symposia followed).  Our attorneys have successfully secured cannabis licenses from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission and  negotiated multiple commercial leases for cannabis retail in various cities, including Verona and East Orange, New Jersey.

 

The Firm filed a pro-bono amicus curiae brief in the United States Supreme Court in the matter of Washington v. Barr, on behalf of several non-profit organizations representing former national and international professional athletes in support of a constitutional challenge to the federal government’s continued refusal to remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, even though millions of Americans use marijuana on a regular basis to manage debilitating health conditions in accordance with State, territorial, and local laws. Unfortunately, with the passing of Justice Ginsberg, petitioners were unable to secure the four votes necessary to secure review.

In recent years, efforts to decriminalize and legalize the use of psilocybin (colloquially known as “hallucinogenic mushrooms”) for medical, recreational, and scientific purposes has been advancing rapidly. In the State of New Jersey, the potential passage of the “Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act” (the “Psilocybin Behavioral Act”), introduced by Senate President, Nick Scutari in June of 2022 would see such legalization and sale of hallucinogenic mushrooms in New Jersey businesses and medical facilities, similar to the State’s recent success in recreational cannabis facilities.  If passed, the Psilocybin Behavioral Act would authorize the production of psilocybin for therapeutic use under a controlled environment, and decriminalize and expunge past convictions for certain psilocybin related conduct, including possession.

Although the Psilocybin Behavioral Act posits itself as mental health, rather than revenue generation for the State, it does take some inspiration from the current Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization (“CREAMM”) Act. Specifically, applicants will be eligible to pursue four different types of licenses, including, a psilocybin product manufacturer, psilocybin service center operator, psilocybin testing laboratory, and psilocybin service facilitator, as well as a psilocybin worker permit.

Further supporting that effort, Firm attorneys served as the principal authors of a pro-bono amicus curiae brief filed on behalf of NORML in support of Petitioners in Dr. Sunil Aggarwal, MD, PhD; Advanced Integrative Medical Science Institute, PLLC v. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Anne Milgram in Her Official Capacity as Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; and Merrick Garland in His Official Capacity as Attorney General, No. 22-178, in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  The brief cautions the federal government against allowing history to repeat itself, providing an historical account of NORML’s efforts to decriminalize cannabis for medicinal purposes for the past half-century and the never-ending efforts of the federal government to delay, resist, and obstruct the progress of science and medicine.  While the federal government is unlikely to learn any lessons from the past, NORML hopes that this Court will acknowledge and heed the legal and procedural lessons learned from those past administrative petition litigations so that innocent dying patients – who are the true victims of the government’s misbehavior – are not denied readily available medicine.

The firm also has been covered by numerous media outlets and published regularly on the topic.

Publications:

Typical Matters Handled

We handle a wide range of matters in this area, including but not limited to:

  • Licensing
  • Corporate Formation and Governance
  • Commercial Leasing
  • Federal Enforcement Actions
  • Contract Negotiation and Drafting
  • Financing
  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution
  • Regulatory and Municipal Compliance
  • Regulatory actions
  • Establishing municipal ordinances and licensing requirements

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