Ohio AG Dave Yost filed a lawsuit against nine multistate cannabis operators for allegedly violating Ohio’s Valentine Act by entering into reciprocal supply deals that allegedly suppress competition. According to the complaint, the defendants allegedly formed “cartels” to keep independent Ohio cultivators’ and processors’ products off dispensary shelves through quid pro quo purchasing quotas and…

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Nebraska AG Mike Hilgers—joined by the AGs of Indiana, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Wyoming—issued a statement expressing their concern about an executive order directing the U.S. Attorney General to take steps to complete the rulemaking process to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance under the Controlled Substances…

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West Virginia AG J.B. McCuskey, assisted by private outside counsel, filed a federal lawsuit against Optum Inc., United Healthcare’s pharmacy benefit manager, and several affiliated entities, alleging that Optum exacerbated the opioid epidemic in West Virginia through business practices that are unlawful under the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act and the federal Racketeer…

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California AG Rob Bonta and the City of New York were joined by a bipartisan coalition of 24 AGs in sending a letter to Shopify Inc., urging the company to crack down on merchants using its e-commerce platform to sell illegal e-cigarettes and other unlawful tobacco products. The AGs allege that many Shopify-hosted sellers offer…

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A bipartisan coalition of 39 AGs sent a letter to congressional leaders urging Congress to clarify the definition of “hemp” in the 2018 Farm Bill. The AGs stress that Congress never intended to legalize psychoactive or synthetic THC products and that clarification will ensure such products are recognized as illegal. According to the letter, certain…

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