News & Insights
Courtney Barnes attends Benzinga 2024 in Hollywood, Florida
Partner, Courtney Barnes will be at Benzinga this week in Hollywood, FL!
She guest lectured today in South Florida for IDH3035 Psychedelic Renaissance, a multidisciplinary FIU Honors College course touching on the history, chemistry, business, law and ethics surrounding psychedelics.
Adult-Use Cannabis to Appear on the November Ballot in Florida
As the debate over adult-use cannabis legalization continues to gain momentum across the United States, Florida finds itself at a critical juncture with Amendment 3 slated for the November 2024 ballot. Sponsored by Smart and Safe Florida, Amendment 3 aims to legalize recreational cannabis for adults twenty-one (21) years of age and older, ushering in a new era of regulatory oversight and economic opportunity.
Natural Medicine Health Act Rulemaking has Officially Commenced in Colorado
Colorado’s regulated psychedelic access program is emerging with the recent publication of draft regulations governing facilitator training and business licensing. After 26 committee meetings and 11 listening sessions, the Department of Revenue (DOR) and the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) have released their first rounds of draft rules and will be holding meetings to accept public comment over the next few months.
Navigating the New Law Requiring Small Businesses to Disclose Full Beneficial Ownership
If you have significant control over the operations of or own twenty-five (25%) or more of a company that makes less than five million dollars ($5,000,000) per year, you may be subject to new reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). The CTA, which took effect January 1, 2024, establishes beneficial ownership information (“BOI”) reporting requirements for certain corporations, limited liability companies, and other entities created in or registered to do business in the United States.
Colorado Natural Medicine Health Act Overview
In recent years, Colorado has become a focal point of psychedelic policy reform. In May 2019, Denver became the first city in the nation to deprioritize the arrest and prosecution of adults engaging in the personal use of psilocybin. Three years later, in November 2022, Colorado voters approved Proposition 122, the Natural Medicine Health Act (“NMHA”). The law includes both a statewide decriminalization component and a framework for a regulated access system to psilocybin, and eventually other “natural medicines.” In May 2023, Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 23-290 to implement the NMHA, and it took effect on July 1st, 2023.
Courtney Barnes promoted to partner at Feldman Legal Advisors — leading the charge in cannabis and psychedelics law
New York, NY (February 20, 2024) – Feldman Legal Advisors, a cannabis and psychedelics-focused boutique law firm, is thrilled to announce the promotion of Courtney Barnes to the position of Partner. As a seasoned attorney, Barnes has played a pivotal role in the firm’s success and growth, particularly in the emerging field of psychedelics law.
2024 Psychedelics Policy Outlook
Despite decades of prohibition, psychedelic policy reform has taken off over the past five years. In the United States, at least 28 municipalities have passed local decriminalization (i.e., deprioritization of law enforcement) measures, two states have adopted regulated access models for psilocybin, at least initially, and a sprinkling of states have begun to consider decriminalization for small amounts of certain psychedelics or have enacted reduced penalty statutes applicable to limited, personal use. In 2023 alone, eight localities passed decriminalization initiatives and at least a dozen states introduced psychedelics-focused legislation. Several states have also adopted laws requiring the establishment of working groups to study the potential medical uses of psychedelics and/or have designated funds for academic institutions and other organizations to engage in psychedelic research. For example, Arizona, Minnesota, Nevada, and Washington all passed legislation establishing committees to study psychedelics further in 2023. In other states, proposed legislation continues to face resistance and has been unsuccessful.
Feldman Legal Advisors’ Courtney Barnes, Esq. Advocates for Psilocybin Decriminalization in Connecticut
Courtney Barnes, Esq. was one of the policy reform activists who testified at the Psilocybin Decriminalization Forum that took place at the Connecticut Capitol last week. Organized by Last Prisoner Project, over a dozen therapists, researchers, attorneys, and advocates came together to speak about the value of psilocybin from both a mental health and economic perspective. The event marks the first psilocybin decriminalization informational forum of the 2024 legislative season.