On Tuesday, June 22, Rhode Island took a major step towards legalization of marijuana. Although House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi still says legalization won’t be decided until after the budget process ends (perhaps even during a special session later this year), the Senate Judiciary Committee, by a 6-2 vote, sent a cannabis legalization bill to...
CannabisClient AlertsMassachusetts Recreational Marijuana Delivery Companies Launch Operations
June 23, 2021
Massachusetts consumers finally have a new way to obtain recreational marijuana. In recent weeks, marijuana delivery services have started to operate in the Bay State. But customers are quickly learning that the process is not quite as easy as ordering products from Amazon or the local grocery store. According to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission...
Press ReleasesChristian R. Jenner and Paul M. Kessimian Present at the Rhode Island Bar Association 2021 Annual Meeting
June 23, 2021
Partridge Snow & Hahn partners Christian R. Jenner and Paul M. Kessimian presented at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Rhode Island Bar Association on June 23, 2021. The presentation—entitled What Now? Contract-ing COVID — included a survey of the pertinent law as well as a panel discussion of recent cases (from Rhode Island and elsewhere) involving legal issues arising out...
Press ReleasesTravis McDermott Presents in the Rhode Island Marijuana Business Law Series
June 23, 2021
PS&H partner, Travis McDermott, is presenting A Crash Course in Licensing, Regulatory Compliance and Federal and State Enforcement, as the first part of a 3-course online seminar series titled Rhode Island Marijuana Business Law 2021. The full series, hosted by the National Business Institute (NBI), provides practical and timely guidance for attorneys advising marijuana-related businesses in Rhode Island....
CannabisClient Alerts‘Slight’ Smell of Marijuana Not Enough to Justify Extended Traffic Stop
June 18, 2021
A Rhode Island Superior Court judge recently cited the trend of decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana in granting a motion to suppress evidence that was obtained during a 2019 search of a vehicle after a traffic stop. Judge David Procaccini found that a ‘slight’ smell of marijuana, coupled with a driver’s nervousness and the fact that...
ArticlesEEOC Guidance Provides Small But Odd Change to Vaccine Practices in the Workplace
June 16, 2021
As demonstrated by the recent update to the EEOC’s Technical Assistance Questions and Answers relating to COVID-19 (“EEOC Guidance”), Employers with any sort of vaccine policy should pay close attention to how the law is evolving to avoid any technical missteps. PS&H partner, Alicia Samolis, was recently interviewed regarding the current status of employer’s rights...
Partridge Snow & Hahn is proud to have 25 attorneys in 15 practice areas recognized in the 2021 Professional Excellence in Law section of Rhode Island Monthly’s June issue. The honorees, who are showcased as top local attorneys in their respective areas of practice, are chosen on several criteria ranging from peer reviews, feedback from professionals in related fields, professional...
Client AlertsEmployment & LaborMassachusetts Mandatory Emergency Paid Sick Leave Starts Now
June 7, 2021
By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli Governor Baker has signed a mandatory emergency paid sick leave law (“EPSL”) requiring that every Massachusetts employer provide up to 40 hours of paid leave to employees for certain reasons relating to COVID-19. The payment to employees – including the cost of benefits – does not have...
By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli On May 18, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service published guidance in the form of a series of 86 questions and answers (“FAQ”) that address the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021’s (“ARPA”) continuation health coverage in the form of “COBRA premium assistance” under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget...
PS&H partner Alicia Samolis presented Legal Issues Surrounding Employer Vaccination Mandates, Incentives and Tracking (And Other Return-To-Work Issues) to the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. Click here to view the recording of the presentation. The presentation reviews the legal and business issues surrounding employer’s four options relating to employee vaccines, including: mandating vaccines incentivizing vaccines tracking vaccines, and not having...
