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Stumbling around the latest legal publishing lists for my other  legal information website that I publish Practicesource.com I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that Edward Elgar  are to publish a standalone title on cannabis and intellectual property next month.

Well researched and written cannabis legal titles are as rare as hen’s teeth and this will be the first title that I’m aware of that has taken a detailed look at the topic.

A quick email to the publishers put me in touch with author – editors, Professor Enrico Bonadio and Dr. Natalie Corthésy who guide us through the why, what and wherefores of the book.

This episode makes especially pleasurable listening as the English language never sounds better than when given to us by an Italian and a Jamaican.

I hope to get them both back sooner rather than later to dig into a bit more detail about specific IP issues popping up around the planet

In the meantime do buy the book and support the publishing house. We need them, now, more than ever.

The Book

This pioneering book explores the relationship between intellectual property (IP) and cannabis. Expert scholars from across the globe reflect on the legal, cultural, and socio-economic significance of cannabis, addressing the difficulties of adapting legal frameworks to this unique and multifaceted product.

Chapters delve into key issues at the intersection of IP and cannabis, from branding and packaging to social equity concerns surrounding the rapid growth of the market. Contributing authors demonstrate the intricate contradictions between positive IP protection and cannabis regulation, drawing on case studies from jurisdictions where the product is legalised to varying degrees, including Canada, Jamaica, Uruguay, and the Netherlands. Covering different plant varieties, moral rights, and links between cannabis and traditional knowledge, this incisive book highlights the challenges of harmonising global cannabis laws while balancing innovation and tradition.

Providing novel interdisciplinary insights into the controversies and complexities of the law surrounding cannabis, this book is an essential read for students and academics in intellectual property law, pharmaceutical law, innovation and economics. It is also an invaluable toolkit for policymakers in governments and tribunals, as well as commercial entrepreneurs.

Edited by Natalie Corthésy, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, Enrico Bonadio, Professor of Intellectual Property Law, The City Law School, City St George’s, University of London, UK and Yentyl Williams, Research Assistant to the Dean, Faculty of Law, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica

Publication Date: May 2025 ISBN: 978 1 03532 938 0 Extent: c 384 pp

Learn more and place your order at 

Tom became a trial lawyer to represent people, not big corporations or powerful government agencies. Since graduating from law school and becoming an attorney, Tom has been able to fight for individuals by getting successful results in high stakes criminal cases, serious personal injury lawsuits, and civil rights litigation across Georgia and the rest of the country.

Tom has been recognized by several organizations based on his successful advocacy. In 2020, just a few years after graduating law school, Tom was selected as one of the Top 40 Under 40 Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers in Georgia by the National Trial Lawyers. Membership in the Top 40 Under 40 is by invitation only and limited to the top 40 attorneys in the state based on their qualifications, leadership skills, and proven results as a trial lawyer. Since 2021, Tom has been identified by Best Lawyers as “One to Watch,” a recognition awarded to young attorneys by their peers. While most “Ones to Watch” recipients have been in practice for at least five years, Tom received this recognition in only his third year of practicing law. Since 2022, Tom has also been named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, a national organization dedicated to recognizing attorneys for significant achievements in their practice areas.

In his criminal practice, Tom handles a variety of cases at the federal and state level, including drug trafficking and conspiracy charges, white collar crimes, immigration offenses, and sex crimes. Several of these cases have resulted in acquittals, dismissals, or favorable plea deals with the prosecution. In post-conviction proceedings, Tom has obtained successful outcomes in appeals, habeas corpus petitions, and sentencing hearings, including by helping his clients get “time served” sentences, probation, or that help them avoid immigration consequences like deportation.

As part of his criminal practice, Tom has filed several motions for “compassionate release” on behalf of inmates all across the country, including in California, Texas, Virginia, and several other states, and he has been able to get several inmates released from prison early based on their vulnerable medical condition or because they received excessively harsh sentences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tom was able to obtain the release of roughly a dozen inmates based on their risk of severe or fatal illness while incarcerated.

Tom also has significant experience and a successful track record in civil asset forfeiture cases, in which the government tries to keep seized property by alleging the property was somehow involved in a person or business’s criminal activities. Tom has defended dozens of people and businesses in civil asset forfeiture cases and has helped his clients recover over $1 million in seized property, including cash, vehicles, and even real estate. Many of these individuals and businesses were subjected to unlawful seizures and raids based on their sale of legal hemp products.

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Attorney Tom Church