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 Mastercard warning on cannabis sales.
• A track-and-trace lawsuit revived in California.
• The International Cannabis Bar's new executive director.
• A hemp industry suit targeting Arkansas.

Thanks as always for reading. Got a story idea or feedback? You can send it all to me at [email protected]. You can also call me at 916.448.2935. Follow me on Twitter: @capitalaccounts

Zachary Kobrin, partner at Akerman. Courtesy photo.

Mastercard Bans Marijuana Sales on Debit Cards

Last week credit giant Mastercard warned banks not to allow account holders to make pot purchases on their debit cards. And that made sense. Visa, Mastercard and major banks have all been very vocal that they want no part in state-legal cannabis transactions while marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

So how were these Mastercard debit sales happening in the first place? To understand that, you need to go back a little in the tortured history of dispensaries trying to find safer alternatives to cash-only transactions, Akerman partner Zachary Kobrin said in a recent interview.