In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in Part I, “Item 1A.
−Removed: Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and/or results of operations.
−Removed: Except to the extent updated below or to the extent additional factual information disclosed elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q relates to such risk factors, there have been no material changes to the risk factors described in the “Risk Factors” sections in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.
−Removed: The risks as described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks facing our Company.
+Added: Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and in Part II, “Item 1A.
+Added: Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and/or results of operations.
+Added: Except to the extent additional factual information disclosed elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q relates to such risk factors, there have been no material changes to the risk factors described in the “Risk Factors” sections in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023.
+Added: The risks as described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not the only risks facing our Company.
Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or results of operations.
−Removed: We and our tenants may have difficulty accessing the service of banks and other financial institutions, which may make it difficult to contract for real estate needs.
−Removed: Financial transactions involving proceeds generated by cannabis-related conduct can form the basis for prosecution under the federal money laundering statutes, unlicensed money transmitter statute and the Bank Secrecy Act.
−Removed: Previous guidance issued by FinCEN clarified how financial institutions can provide services to cannabis-related businesses consistent with their obligations under the Bank Secrecy Act.
−Removed: However, this guidance does not provide any safe harbors or legal defenses from examination or regulatory or criminal enforcement actions by the DOJ, FinCEN or other federal regulators.
−Removed: Thus, most banks and other financial institutions in the United States do not appear to be comfortable providing banking services to cannabis-related businesses, or relying on this guidance, which can be amended or revoked at any time by the executive branch.
−Removed: In addition to the foregoing, banks may refuse to process debit card payments and credit card companies generally refuse to process credit card payments for cannabis-related businesses.
−Removed: Prior to the DOJ’s announcement in January 2018 of the rescission of the Cole Memo and related memoranda, supplemental guidance from the DOJ directed federal prosecutors to consider the federal enforcement priorities enumerated in the Cole Memo when determining whether to charge institutions or individuals with any of the financial crimes described above based upon cannabis-related activity.
−Removed: It remains unclear what impact the rescission of the Cole Memo will have, but federal prosecutors may increase enforcement activities against institutions or individuals that are conducting financial transactions related to cannabis activities.
−Removed: The increased uncertainty surrounding financial transactions related to cannabis activities may also result in financial institutions discontinuing services to the cannabis industry.
−Removed: Consequently, those businesses involved in the regulated cannabis industry continue to encounter difficulty establishing banking relationships, which may increase over time.
−Removed: Our inability to maintain our current bank accounts would make it difficult for us to operate our business, increase our operating costs, and pose additional operational, logistical and security challenges and could result in our inability to implement our business plan.
−Removed: The terms of our leases require that our tenants make rental payments via check or wire transfer.
−Removed: Only a small percentage of financial institutions in the United States currently provide banking services to licensed cannabis operators.
−Removed: The inability of our current and potential tenants to open accounts and continue using the services of banks will limit their ability to enter into triple-net lease arrangements with us or may result in their default under our lease agreements, either of which could materially harm our business and the trading price of our securities.
−Removed: In addition, for our tenants that are publicly traded companies, securities clearing firms may refuse to accept deposits of securities of those tenants, which may negatively impact the trading and valuations of such tenants and have a material adverse impact on our tenants’ ability to finance their operations and growth through the capital markets.
−Removed: In addition, federal money laundering statutes and Bank Secrecy Act regulations discourage financial institutions from working with any organization that sells a controlled substance, regardless of whether the state it resides in permits cannabis sales.
−Removed: While the United States House of Representatives has passed the SAFE Banking Act, which would permit commercial banks to offer services to cannabis companies that are in compliance with state law, it remains under consideration by the Senate, and if Congress fails to pass the SAFE Banking Act, the Company’s inability, or limitations on the Company’s ability, to open or maintain bank accounts, obtain
−Removed: other banking services and/or accept credit card and debit card payments may make it difficult for the Company to operate and conduct its business as planned or to operate efficiently.
−Removed: Federal and state banking regulators closed two U.S.
−Removed: banks in March 2023, and another U.S.
−Removed: bank in May 2023, with which we have no banking, financing or other business relationships, precipitating financial industry and capital markets turmoil centered on concerns about the stability and solvency of other banks and financial institutions and the attendant risk they may be closed and/or forced by governmental agencies into receivership or sale.
−Removed: The failure of other banks and financial institutions, if it occurs, could have a material adverse effect on our or our tenants’ liquidity or consolidated financial statements if we or our tenants have placed cash and cash equivalent deposits at such banks or financial institutions or have lending relationships with those banks.
Compared sentence by sentence after normalising whitespace, quotation marks, case and digits, so re-formatting and restated figures do not read as changed language. Wording changes appear as one removal and one addition. The current filing and the prior one are authoritative.