Our cannabis attorneys have represented operators at every stage of a cannabis business’s lifecycle. Our lawyers have assisted cannabis operators in Maryland and DC write license applications, with corporate formation and investor agreements, developing compliant operating procedures, brand licensing agreements, and through eventual exit strategies. By representing the Maryland cannabis industry from its outset, we have developed an extensive network of professionals that can serve all cannabis operators’ needs.

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Expertise

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• Application writing and submission

• Regulatory compliance

• Product labeling & advertising

• Financial institutions and banking

• Defense of regulatory actions

• Financing and operational agreements

• Product licensing agreements

• Employment disputes

• Appeals

• Compliance Audits

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Representative Matters

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• ​Represented dozens of lottery-winning license applicants in obtaining conditional licenses.

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• Represented a Maryland dispensary in a regulatory enforcement action in which the Maryland Cannabis Administration (“MCA”) sought to suspend the license. Avoided all suspensions and reduced fines to less than 12% of the MCA’s initial proposed sanction.

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• Represented a cannabis operator in the acquisition of a pre-approved dispensary, including resolution of an ownership dispute among the sellers that halted operations for over six years.

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• Represented the sellers of a Maryland dispensary license in an asset sale involving the consolidation of three independent dispensaries.

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• Assisted the sixth dispensary to become operational in West Virginia with regulatory oversight, corporate formation, and governance, and capital raising.

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• Represented partners of the first Maryland social-equity processor to operate in Maryland.

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• Served as buyer's counsel for a Maryland cannabis company in the acquisition of a dispensary in West Virginia.

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• Represented a Maryland management company in drafting, negotiating, and applying to the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC) to approve a managed services agreement.

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• Prepared the first ancillary business application for a secure transport and security guard agency in Maryland.

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• Represented a dispensary in a regulatory enforcement action brought by the MCA and prevailed in negotiating a consent order prior to formal charges being filed. Guided the client through navigating the terms of the consent order, ensuring continued regulatory compliance, and successfully petitioning the MCA to terminate the dispensary's probationary period early.

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• Represented a Maryland dispensary in a lawsuit against the client's former general counsel and board member.

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• Represented a West Coast cannabis cultivator in acquiring a cultivator's license in Washington, D.C., providing assistance with writing the application, as well as managing all corporate formation and structuring to comply with D.C. regulations.

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• Wrote a winning courier license application for a national logistics and delivery operator in the first round of courier applications in Washington, D.C.

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