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BECERRA REJECTS DOJ’S BCC SUBPOENA

In January, the Drug Enforcement Administration subpoenaed the Bureau of Cannabis Control for documents on multiple weed businesses, explaining only that the information sought is “relevant and material to a legitimate law enforcement inquiry.”

The Bureau objected to the DEA request on the grounds that it’s been insufficiently explained and may violate privacy law. Then, earlier this month, the Justice Department requested that California’s U.S. District Court for the Southern District make the BCC give up records. 

On Thursday, Attorney General Xavier Becerra asked the court to reject the Justice Department lawsuit. 
Marijuana Moment

  • Becerra complained that beyond being inadequately detailed, “the subpoena sought information that was part of a pending licensing application investigation and was confidential, protected as a trade secret, or was otherwise protected by California privacy laws.”
  • The DEA is seeking cannabis licenses, cannabis license applications, and  shipping manifests—all unredacted—for three cannabis enterprises and three individuals, from January 2018 to January 2020.

Quick Hits

  1. In federal court, Beverly Hills-based investment firm Arcadian Capital is arguing that Curaleaf’s $390M acquisition of Cura Partners means they’re owed 3%—11.3M—for consulting. Curaleaf counters that the Arcadian Capital consulting contract is bogus. Also, a new lawsuit alleges purchased samples of Cura’s Select Elite vapes in Oregon contained less THC than labelled. Curaleaf declined to comment other than to say a previous similar lawsuit had been dismissed by the plaintiffs.
    MJ Biz Daily, WeedWeek
  2. A bit more than three years ago, rapper-entrepreneur Master P sued Privateer Holdings for $25M, alleging that the company never intended to honor their deal to produce and distribute Master P’s Trees. Instead, the artist formerly known as Percy Miller said he was used for “an inside look into the urban and hip-hop demographic of cannabis users.” Last week a Sonoma County Superior Court judge found otherwise, awarding Miller $0. 
    The GrowthOp