Welcome back to Higher Law, our weekly briefing on all things cannabis. I'm Cheryl Miller, reporting for Law.com from Sacramento.

This week we're looking at: A New Jersey lawyer's view of the Garden State's new cannabis laws • Four firms' work on a cannabis SPAC deal • Democrats' political play on marijuana  •  An employers' guide to potential marijuana laws in New York.

Thanks as always for reading. Send your story ideas and feedback to [email protected]. You can call me, too, at 916.448.2935. Follow me on Twitter @capitalaccounts.