In this episode of Regulatory Oversight, Troutman Pepper attorneys Nick Ramos, Christina Sava, and Stephen Piepgrass offer thoughts on how to incorporate, or not incorporate, regulatory approaches from the alcohol industry into the cannabis industry.

The cannabis industry’s rapid U.S. evolution poses many unique questions, most interestingly: What cannabis regulation will look like under federal legalization. Although (legal) cannabis is a brand new industry, it is not the first time the United States has come out of a prohibition era. So, learning from the regulatory schemes governing the highly regulated alcohol industry should assist in a smoother transition to a world where recreational cannabis usage is no longer considered a taboo in our society.

Transcript: What the Budding Cannabis Industry Can Learn From the Established Alcohol Industry (PDF)


Our Cannabis Practice provides advice on issues related to applicable federal and state law. Marijuana remains an illegal controlled substance under federal law.