Cannabis law has never been more contradictory. In the U.S., federal and state governments often regulate identical products under completely different legal frameworks. Hemp and marijuana can produce the same intoxicating effects, yet lawmakers treat them as fundamentally different. Medical marijuana now occupies a unique place under federal law while adult use marijuana remains prohibited.
Harris Bricken Blogs
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The RedNote Contract Lesson for Companies Doing Business in China
By Arlo Kipfer
Your China Contract May Bind the Wrong Company
Xiaohongshu, known outside China as RedNote, has denied reports that a former employee’s complaint delayed a possible Hong Kong IPO. The underlying dispute is real, and it turns on a problem we see constantly in China matters: The company that signs an agreement is not always the…
Up in Smoke: SCOTUS Torches the Federal Marijuana Gun Ban
Until last week, federal law prohibited marijuana users from owning or possessing firearms, even in states where marijuana is legal. In recent years, we have covered the differing opinions by federal courts challenging this status quo. On June 18, 2026, the Supreme Court held in a 9-0 decision in U.S. v. Hemani that 18 U.S.C.
China Manufacturing Contracts: Why Your Draft Does Not Work
By Dan Harris
China Manufacturing Contracts: Why U.S. Drafts Do Not Work
Clients often send us a U.S. manufacturing agreement and ask whether it can save time or money on a China manufacturing contract. It cannot.
Sometimes the ask is smaller: can we just spend a couple of hours reviewing it? We decline because we will not bill…
Medical Marijuana Rescheduling Q&A: Cutting Through the Noise
Since acting Attorney General Todd Blanch announced that state-legal medical marijuana would move to Schedule III, the commentary has been relentless — hot takes, doomsayers, and self-proclaimed experts flooding LinkedIn with conflicting interpretations. Much of it is speculative, overstated, and uneducated. This piece cuts through the noise and responds to the questions I have fielded…
Deepfakes, Voice Cloning, and AI Impersonation: The Global Rules Are Already Here, and They Don’t Agree
Deepfakes, Voice Cloning, and AI Impersonation: The Global Rules Are Already Here, and They Don’t Agree
A cloned executive voice. A fake endorsement. A synthetic campaign ad. A deepfake intimate image. Each of these can now trigger criminal liability, consumer-protection claims, platform-removal obligations, or identity-rights lawsuits—depending on where your business operates and which country’s law…
Trade Secrets in the AI Economy: Why Businesses Need Stronger Protection Now
Trade Secrets in the AI Economy: Why Businesses Need Stronger Protection Now
For many businesses, the most valuable asset never appears on a balance sheet. It is the information competitors cannot see and cannot easily copy: source code, pricing logic, training methods, customer data, internal workflows, manufacturing processes, supplier knowledge, and the operational know-how that…
What the 2026 Federal Hemp Ban Means for Unsold Hemp Inventory
Most commentary on the “hemp ban” included in the November funding bill has focused on two related questions: (1) which products and activities may become unlawful on November 12, 2026; and (2) whether Congress will materially amend or delay the ban before then.
I recently discussed another consequence operators should be considering as the deadline…
How to Negotiate with Your Chinese Manufacturers
By Dan Harris
How to Negotiate with Your Chinese Manufacturers
Most American companies hear the line “That’s not how we do it in China” and immediately start retreating.
They soften their tone, over-explain, and offer compromises before they have identified what matters. They treat the phrase like a cultural law that cannot be questioned, instead of what it…
Finding Your China Substitute: Cambodia vs. Guatemala for Manufacturing:
By Dan Harris
Cambodia vs. Guatemala for Manufacturing
For U.S. companies making labor-intensive products and looking to exit China, Cambodia and Guatemala come up repeatedly as lower-cost alternatives. I am bullish on Guatemala, but cautious on Cambodia.
This is not because Cambodia cannot manufacture. It can. The issue is control. Cambodia’s risk profile is harder to manage and…