Because of prohibition, cannabis and the law have been forever intertwined. Prohibition ensured that any cannabis entrepreneur, whether they were operating before legalization or not, should have a lawyer on their side — and West coast-based Cultiva Law has been on the side of activists since its founding. One of the firm’s original attorneys, Aaron Pelley, spoke with Ganjapreneur about where it all started and how they’ve grown into a completely self-managed, people-first practice.

When Aaron started his private practice, he focused on helping medical cannabis patients. “I knew that if I was going to start my own firm that I just wanted to defend people that were committing the same kind of crimes that I could imagine committing myself,” he said. “Being a medical marijuana patient, I could get behind that.

“Under the CARES Act, small businesses can receive loans to cover payroll expenses, health care benefits, employee salaries, rent, utilities and interest on mortgage debt,” according to Vince Sliwoski of the law firm Harris Sliwoski.