Get in Touch with Our California Cannabis Law Team
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Fewer businesses face more hurdles than cannabis-based ones. Successfully navigating complex industries like this calls for bold lawyers. Trust Harris Sliwoski for industry-expert legal planning, regulatory support, corporate guidance, and compliance strategies.
Contact UsHarris Sliwoski’s California cannabis practice began in 2012 to meet the needs of clients in the medicinal marijuana industry. Over the past several years, we have guided clients through rapidly changing legal and regulatory frameworks, assisting with the shift to or addition of recreational cannabis. Our California cannabis attorneys are consistently tuned into developments in California’s complex and fast-changing cannabis laws, quickly and effectively adapting our practices to meet the needs of the statewide cannabis market. With offices in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, we are well positioned to assist clients throughout the Golden State.
California became the first state to legalize the medical use of marijuana in 1996 through Proposition 215, otherwise known as the Compassionate Use Act. After many years of complex legal changes California voters passed Proposition 64 in late 2016, legalizing the sale and distribution of cannabis for adult recreational use. This passage led to the Medicinal and Adult Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (“MAUCRSA”), which organized the robust regulation of both medicinal and recreational cannabis into one body of law.
The cannabis industry is dynamic and multifaceted. So are we. Our experienced cannabis business lawyers in Los Angeles and San Francisco can help cannabis companies statewide across their legal footprint.
Traditional banking institutions are reluctant to provide credit to cannabis-based businesses. As a result, the industry often operates with companies extending credit to their buyers. This environment has led to many businesses overlooking the potential risks to their cash flow when a customer doesn’t pay. Our team can help you collect those debts through a personalized strategy.
Successful business relationships start with clear expectations and well-written contracts. At Harris Sliwoski, our attorneys draw on their extensive decade-plus experience in cannabis law to create contracts that stand up under scrutiny and protect your business’s legal interests.
The organization type you choose can substantially impact your cannabis business in many aspects, including taxation, management responsibilities, and economic rights. Our team of cannabis lawyers has provided legal guidance to hundreds of clients nationally and worldwide about their options. We’ll help you identify and establish the best entity to protect your interests.
California’s cannabis legal system is unique in that many different government agencies regulate different parts of the cannabis industry. Harris Sliwoski’s California cannabis team is more than familiar with each of these agencies:
Adding further complexity to California cannabis law is the fact that, while MAUCRSA controls regulatory compliance at the state level, it also empowers cities, counties, and other municipalities to regulate cannabis in their own (and often very different) ways. Feeling confused? Don’t worry, our California cannabis attorneys are on top of not only the regularly amended MAUCRSA, but also the fast-changing county and city laws as well.
We have guided clients through competitive and standard permitting and licensing processes across the state and also represent clients in mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property licensing, and general regulatory compliance. In addition to our California corporate and regulatory cannabis practice, our team has considerable experience in court and agency litigation and is armed and ready to represent you in any disputes that may arise for you and your business.
Aside from our client work, Harris Sliwoski’s California cannabis lawyers also speak and write regularly about cannabis matters and are frequently cited by the media.
Beyond advising individual businesses, our cannabis attorneys are committed to fortifying, defending, and building credibility for the industry as a whole. Harris Sliwoski’s cannabis business lawyers are more than legal strategists—they are thought leaders: forward-thinking bloggers, educators, writers, and speakers.
They regularly write articles for legal journals and frequently post to our acclaimed and widely followed Canna Law Blog. We speak to business and trade groups, academic institutions, and government bodies on a variety of cannabis legal issues, and our cannabis lawyers are frequently quoted by global, national, and local media outlets. We also have compiled (and are forever adding to) a Cannabis Glossary to help with industry terminology.
View BlogGet started by filling out the form, or call 1-888-330-0010 to schedule an initial consultation.
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700 S. Flower Street
Suite 1000
Los Angeles, CA 90017
United States
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