For at least the past decade, federal bankruptcy courts have routinely prohibited cannabis businesses from seeking protection under federal bankruptcy law, regardless of whether a cannabis business is legally operating under state law.
In re Arenas, 514 B.R. 887 (Bankr. D. Colo. 2014) –
The U.S. trustee sought to dismiss “for cause” a chapter 7 case filed by a marijuana grower and his wife. The debtors countered by moving to convert to a chapter 13 case. The case turned on the impact of the federal Controlled Substances Act.
Recreational marijuana is legal in two states—Washington and Colorado—and medical marijuana is legal in another twenty-one states. Colorado alone has over 500 marijuana dispensaries and that number is on the rise. However, as the marijuana industry continues to grow, federal law still prohibits the use of marijuana. So what happens when a marijuana business becomes insolvent? Does it have the right to avail itself of the protections of the Bankruptcy Code?
Following its sister court in Colorado[1] the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona recently held that the debtor’s operation of a business that it illegal under federal law mandates dismissal of an involuntary bankruptcy petition filed against the debtor. In re Medpoint Management, LLC, 528 B.R.
For at least the past decade, federal bankruptcy courts have routinely prohibited cannabis businesses from seeking protection under federal bankruptcy law, regardless of whether a cannabis business is legally operating under state law.