Legal & Regulatory

53 terms in this category

The delta-9 THC ceiling distinguishing legal hemp from illegal marijuana

Legalized hemp at ≤0.3% delta-9 THC — created the intoxicating-hemp loophole

The regulatory-preferred term for legal cannabis markets serving consumers aged 21+

Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act — Schumer/Booker/Wyden descheduling bill

A person authorized to purchase and administer cannabis on behalf of a qualified patient

Umbrella term for pardon, commutation, or reprieve — reduces consequences of conviction

The 2013 DOJ memo creating a federal non-enforcement framework for state-legal cannabis

Controlled Substances Act

The 1970 federal law governing drug classification, registration, and penalties

Cultivation (legal)

Growing cannabis — authorized in some states for home use, criminal in others

Drug Enforcement Administration — the federal agency enforcing the Controlled Substances Act

Decriminalization ⚠️

Reducing cannabis penalties without creating a legal market — varies wildly by state

Complete removal of cannabis from CSA schedules — proposed in MORE Act and CAOA

The offense of delivering or selling cannabis — distinct from personal possession

Department of Justice — sets federal cannabis enforcement policy via memos and directives

Department of Public Safety — oversees cannabis programs in some states

Driving under the influence of cannabis — states use varying detection and threshold standards

Driving while intoxicated — some states use DWI instead of DUI for cannabis impairment

State-imposed tax on cannabis sales — rates vary from 6% to 37% depending on the state

The legal destruction or sealing of a criminal record — a key cannabis reform demand

Omnibus agricultural legislation — the 2018 version federally legalized hemp

Food and Drug Administration — regulates cannabis-derived drugs (Epidiolex) and hemp ingestibles

Cannabis containing ≤0.3% delta-9 THC — an agricultural commodity, not a controlled substance

Home cultivation

Growing cannabis at home for personal use — allowed in most legalization states with plant limits

Implied consent

Doctrine that licensed drivers consent to chemical testing — refusal triggers penalties

Intent to distribute

Enhancement charge based on quantity, packaging, or scales — dramatically increases penalties

Affirmative authorization of cannabis possession and regulated commerce for adults 21+

The archaic federal statutory spelling used in the CSA since 1970

Common spelling for psychoactive cannabis — the term has racialized origins

Marijuana Enforcement Division — Colorado's cannabis regulatory agency

Medical cannabis

State-authorized therapeutic cannabis requiring physician recommendation and registry enrollment

State-issued identification authorizing a patient to purchase medical cannabis

Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act — would deschedule and expunge

Office of Cannabis Management — New York's cannabis regulatory agency

Equipment associated with drug use — pipes, papers, scales — still illegal federally

Executive forgiveness of a criminal offense — Biden issued cannabis pardons in 2022 and 2023

Patient registry

State database tracking authorized medical cannabis patients and caregivers

A legal threshold where a specific THC blood level automatically constitutes impairment

Having cannabis on one's person or premises — penalties range from legal to felony by state

Prescription (cannabis)

Cannabis cannot be prescribed under federal law — physicians issue recommendations instead

The legal regime criminalizing cannabis cultivation, distribution, and possession

Qualifying condition

A medical diagnosis that makes a patient eligible for a state medical cannabis program

A state honoring another state's medical cannabis card — availability varies

A physician's written endorsement of cannabis — not a prescription, since cannabis remains Schedule I

Recreational cannabis

Colloquial term for non-medical adult-use cannabis — regulators now prefer "adult-use"

Moving cannabis to a less restrictive CSA schedule — Schedule III rulemaking pending as of 2026

Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment

Annual appropriations rider prohibiting DOJ from interfering with state medical programs

SAFE Banking Act

Federal bill to protect banks serving cannabis businesses — passed House multiple times, stalled in Senate

The most restrictive federal drug category — cannabis has been Schedule I since 1970

Restricting public access to a criminal record without full destruction

Programs designed to prioritize communities harmed by cannabis prohibition for licensing

Federal bill to amend the CSA to respect state cannabis laws

Transporting or distributing cannabis in quantities triggering mandatory minimums

US Department of Agriculture — oversees the federal hemp cultivation program

Other Categories

Botany & Cultivation

Chemistry, Cannabinoids & ECS

Flower, Hash & Concentrates

Edibles, Smokeware & Devices

Consumption, Effects & Measurement

Industry & Commerce

Slang, Culture & History

Medical, Science & Research