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San Francisco Cannabis Law
San Francisco and Bay Area Cannabis Law
San Francisco sits at the center of one of California's toughest cannabis regulatory environments. As an early adopter of local cannabis rules and one of the state's most regulated jurisdictions, the city continues to shape how operators navigate zoning, permitting and compliance. Harris Sliwoski helps cannabis businesses throughout the Bay Area protect their licenses, structure their operations and handle legal issues.
Contact UsPractical Cannabis Legal Services for Local Operators
We help cannabis operators handle the legal issues they face, including:
- Licensing and local permits: Licensing is not just paperwork. We help you move through state licensing with the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) and local authorization across viable categories, with guidance on conversions, renewals and ownership changes.
- Land use and zoning: We help you evaluate properties early so zoning restrictions and distance rules for schools, parks and other sensitive locations do not create avoidable lease problems or licensing delays.
- Regulatory compliance: From track-and-trace to labeling and advertising restrictions, we help you understand what the DCC and the city's Office of Cannabis rules require, how regulators apply them and what your business needs to do next.
- Enforcement defense: If the DCC or local authorities issue a Notice of Violation or initiate suspension proceedings, we respond quickly to protect your license, preserve leverage and defend your business in enforcement hearings.
- Cannabis M&A: We structure mergers and acquisitions to address ownership changes, DCC requirements and federal rescheduling considerations from the start.
- Entity formation: We advise on entity choice, ownership disclosure requirements and license conversions to protect ownership interests and support long-term cannabis business growth.
Why LA Cannabis Businesses Work With Harris Sliwoski
Los Angeles cannabis rules are difficult on paper and even harder in practice. Our attorneys have advised California cannabis businesses since the state’s medical-only days.
- License caps and social equity: We help you understand how license caps and social equity priorities affect timing, eligibility and the commercial viability of your cannabis plans.
- Stricter distance requirements: We help you evaluate location restrictions early so distance rules do not create avoidable delays, lease problems or licensing setbacks.
- Dual-jurisdiction compliance: We help you navigate city and state restrictions while protecting your interests in entity formation, contract negotiation, regulatory defense and long-term expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have questions about cannabis law in the Bay Area, we have the answers.
How does federal rescheduling affect my cannabis business?
Federal rescheduling moved cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III for qualifying medical activity, potentially removing the Section 280E tax penalty for operators who obtain a DEA registration. Adult-use sales remain on Schedule I. California operators may need to convert DCC licenses, separate medical and adult-use inventory, and restructure supply chains.
Do I need both state and local approval?
Yes. California requires DCC licensees to obtain local approval before the state issues or renews a license.
What happens if I receive a DCC Notice of Violation?
Act immediately, contacting an attorney to assess the violation and negotiate with regulators before the agency imposes license suspension or revocation.
Attorneys in this Practice Area
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CANNA LAW BLOG
An intelligent, timely resource for the cannabis industry
Beyond client work, Harris Sliwoski's California cannabis attorneys write, speak, and are frequently quoted on cannabis legal issues. Our team contributes regularly to the Canna Law Blog, speaks to business, trade, academic, and government audiences, and maintains a growing Cannabis Glossary to help demystify industry terminology — from "MAUCRSA" to "track-and-trace" to "social equity licensee."
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Our Clients' Successes
“Harris Sliwoski expertly guided us through the formation of our company. They continue to assist with necessary registrations and compliance with numerous regulations. They were able to promptly answer all our many questions and provide understandable options, explanations and practical advice. We expect to continue to use Harris Sliwoski on a regular basis as our company expands. They were also able to introduce us other professional experts. We would not hesitate to recommend Harris Sliwoski to any companies in need of legal advice.”
Three Continents Foods LLC
This law firm was a huge help as our company went through the process of commercial licensing in the California cannabis industry. They have helped us with a variety of legal issues in a timely fashion, while clearly communicating with us throughout the process. Everyone we’ve worked with at Harris Sliwoski is an expert in their field and we have always felt that we were in good hands through our legal representation.
Wil Crummer, CEO PRO Farms
Legal stuff is always scary. And I've had to play offense a couple times, begrudgingly. To have Harris Sliwoski have my back? It made things a lot less prickly. They quickly walked me through my options, and were refreshingly consistent in their communications, timing and billing. I've been lucky to stay out of the legal side of things my whole career, thankfully. When things went a little wrong, Harris Sliwoski quickly made things right.
Aaron Draplin, Founder Draplin Design Co.
I am impressed with this law firm. They answered all my questions regarding cannabis businesses and the California cannabis framework, and they have helped me with a variety of legal issues in a timely fashion, while always clearly communicating with us throughout the process. They also redirected me to other quality people for my business needs. Everyone I worked with at Harris Sliwoski is an expert in their field, and I was in good hands throughout my legal representation.
Corey T., CEO Thinc Cubed, LLC
I have been working with the lawyers at Harris Sliwoski for more than 20 years both as a business owner and as an executive at a large east-coast health system and that is because they have always efficiently provided high level and clear international law advice. Most recently, Harris Sliwoski provided legal support on many matters related to procuring medical products worldwide. Their support was particularly helpful to during the onset of COVID, when there was a big need for securing PPE quickly, all while navigating complicated international and domestic legal requirements. Harris Sliwoski’s team of international lawyers helped by conducting rapid-fire due diligence on potential suppliers, navigating the legal logistics for getting product from overseas and through U.S. customs, and drafting contracts to protect against various sorts of horribles. They did this by essentially providing what amounted to 24/7 service. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Dan Pak Hospital Supply Chain Executive
Harris Sliwoski has represented our company in the legal cannabis industry for years. Harris Sliwoski has advised us in a wide variety of legal matters, and they are truly experts in their field. I would highly recommend Harris Sliwoski to anyone with questions about cannabis law, or any legal matters. They have been great for our Company, and will continue to guide us as our industry evolves
Matt Hurt, COO Cannabis Nation
You won't find a better partner than Harris Sliwoski when trying to navigate the complex world of healthcare regulations. They not only give sound and reliable legal advice, but they are also very responsive and are able to guide you in a way that helps you reach your business objectives as well.
Joseph Axelrod, General Counsel Irwin Naturals
When we started the process of building a 'seed to sale' cannabis company in Oregon, we saw the need for expert legal counsel. The cannabis sector is fraught with potential peril at every turn, and we wanted the best legal advice we could find. After talking to several firms and individuals, we feel extremely fortunate to have chosen Harris Sliwoski as our legal counsel.
Tony Theiss, CEO and Co-Founder Redbarn Cannabis
We use Harris Sliwoski on all our international legal matters, including on our international litigation matters. We have over the last few years been involved in a couple big international legal disputes and Harris Sliwoski’s international dispute resolution team provided us with expert legal assistance on both matters. They were always very careful to explain to us what they were doing and why and what their actions would likely cost us in legal fees. Most importantly, we did extremely well on both cases and I have no doubt Harris Sliwoski was a big factor in that.
Kevin English, CEO We Are Camp
We have used Harris Sliwoski for legal help related to our international manufacturing. The lawyers with whom I worked had extensive familiarity with the international legal issues involved in our various projects and offered us key insights. I particularly appreciated how they always quickly and efficiently do what they say they will do and always within their cost estimates.
Andrea Barona Valladolid, Senior Legal Counsel Fairphone
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Los Angeles, CA 90017
United States
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