Cannabis

As the cannabis industry continues to expand, the laws governing its recreational and medical use evolve and vary across jurisdictions. This necessitates practical legal advice for investors and business operators in the cannabis industry.

In 2019 alone, there were 307 cannabis related venture deals in the US, amounting to approximately $2.62 billion in VC investments at a median deal size of $2.5 million and a median post money valuation of $20 million. This is only expected to grow exponentially, with sales of cannabis products worldwide expected to exceed $40 billion within the next ten years. Advisors who can navigate this landscape are essential for entrepreneurs.

We represent cannabis-related businesses, including laboratory testing providers, service providers, venture capitalist firms investing in the cannabis space, food and beverage distributors, and participants in the hemp industry. We assist with navigating the economic and legal constructs at multiple levels of regulatory constructs to provide concise, effective, and meaningful results for our clients. Additionally, as our clients’ cannabis related businesses grow and expand, we serve as outside general counsel to address traditional and cannabis-related legal concerns such as corporate governance, debt and equity financings, shareholder issues, licensing and negotiation of contracts, enforcement of contracts, employment laws, and other areas of business operations.

Among our notable areas of expertise, we advise our cannabis clients on:

• Mergers & acquisitions
• Cannabis fund formation
• Business formation, early-stage corporate structures, and other business counseling
• All phases of state and local permitting
• Regulatory compliance
• Intellectual property matters, including registration and defense of trademarks
• Banking and finance issues
• Business and investor disputes
• Employment matters