Cogent Law

The cannabis industry and the financial institutions that serve it are closely watching developments from the Administration as it prepares to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. If finalized, this executive action would mark one of the most significant federal policy shifts in the history of the regulated cannabis market.

A pragmatic recap of “The Smart-Safe Revolution: Transforming Cannabis Cash Management”  and why modern cash automation is becoming a defining competitive edge for retailers and financial institutions in the cannabis sector. Smart safes have moved from a “nice-to-have” to an operational necessity. Cash-heavy dispensaries bleed money through labor drag, internal shrinkage, and lost yield, while

Cannabis rescheduling continues to dominate headlines, policy discussions, and boardroom conversations. Yet for many financial institutions, the real implications are being misunderstood, or worse, oversimplified.

A pragmatic analysis of where cannabis banking is heading in 2026 and why regulatory uncertainty around rescheduling, intoxicating hemp, and interagency guidance is creating both risk and opportunity for financial institutions.

Cannabis banking didn’t become “normal” just because more states legalized it. The operating reality for banks and credit unions is still defined by regulatory ambiguity, examiner variability, and a compliance framework that has not kept pace with market complexity.

Introduction A recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Sequeira v. United States Department of Homeland Security, No. 4:22-cv-07996-HSG, offers important clarification on the scope of the Right to Financial Privacy Act (RFPA) and its applicability to money transmitters and similar non-bank financial service providers. The ruling exposes a

A pragmatic recap of what Money Transmitter Licensing (MTL) really entails and why state-by-state compliance is emerging as one of the most decisive competitive barriers for fintechs and crypto companies entering the U.S. market. Money Transmitter Licensing has become a structural filter for which fintech and crypto companies can operate and scale in the United