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Cannabis

Ice Miller’s Cannabis Group recognizes how quickly this industry is evolving and growing, which is why we have assembled a team with a history of representing dynamic and heavily regulated industries to serve our clients’ needs. The Firm has substantial multistate experience in the cannabis industry and regularly advises businesses, governments, investors, banks, suppliers, innovators and others as they navigate the growing and constantly changing legal cannabis market. Ice Miller continues to be at the forefront of cannabis issues with public policy makers. Our group experience includes all derivatives of cannabis and hemp.
 
Comprehensive Legal and Advocacy Support

Ice Miller’s cannabis professionals offer extensive multidisciplinary experience including:
 
  • Government Advocacy and Grassroots – Providing direct advocacy as the primary interface between government officials and regulators relating to the industry, including providing guidance and changes to local, state and federal laws. Our governmental relations team is at the front line on getting laws passed to support growth in the industry;
  • Regulatory Compliance – Assisting clients with a best practices approach with regulatory compliance to ensure proactive compliance while assisting in resolving compliance problems;
  • Licensing – Helping clients on licensure applications for cultivators, processors, dispensaries, laboratories and health care service providers including advocacy work;
  • Litigation – Helping clients address trade secret issues, appeal denial of licenses and address disputes between cannabis-related businesses;
  • Financial Services & Banking – Ensuring proper compliance for financial institutions, and subsequent investigations, enforcement, and litigation related to banking with cannabis-related clients;
  • Corporate – Providing services to help structure business organizations, mergers and acquisitions, document financing, and the acquisition of real estate for the industry; and
  • Labor – Advising employers regarding the growing number of compliance issues and employee issues related to this industry.
  • Real Estate -  Representing clients on acquisition and required approvals for cannabis-related business.

Again, Ice Miller utilizes a cross-functional team of lawyers and professions to handle the variety of issues involved with cannabis use. Members of our team, with a broad array of experience, routinely serve cannabis-related businesses from the following areas of practice:

  • Banking and Financial Services
  • Banking Regulatory / Compliance
  • Business Services
  • Corporate
  • Employee Benefits
  • Energy
  • Environmental
  • Food and Agribusiness
  • Health Care
  • Intellectual Property
  • Data Security/Privacy
  • Economic Development
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Labor
  • Litigation
  • Manufacturing
  • Outside General Counsel
  • Public Affairs / Government Law
  • Real Estate
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Tax

Representative Experience

  • Licensing
    • We have assisted numerous multistate and local cannabis companies win or obtain cultivator, processor and dispensary licenses, either through the licensing process or through successful litigation efforts in numerous states.   
    • We assisted a global research and development organization in providing application support for a provisional laboratory license and also handle labor and employment issues for this scientific research organization.
  • Labor
    • Consulted with clients on employment issues resulting from legalized cannabis in various states. 
  • Compliance
    • Represent several national and local clients on daily compliance issues for current operations and compliance review on changes to law. 
    • Represent distribution company on shipping and storage issues.
    • Advise publicly traded companies on state and federal compliance issues to get into the cannabis industry.    
  • Financial Services & Banking
    • Represented credit unions by providing advice and counsel relating to potential cannabis related business customers.
  • Government Advocacy and Grassroots
    • Advise clients on rule changes and law changes impacting industry.
    • Represent a coalition of cannabis companies on changes to state law to advance industry issues.  
    • Support client on federal advocacy efforts related to SAFE Banking Act.
    • Advocate for local approvals for clients to be the preferred company in jurisdictions and to obtain all necessary local approvals. 
  • Corporate
    • Represent several national and regional companies on merger and acquisition issues, real estate acquisition, and local zoning and building permit issues.
  • Local, State & Federal Issues
    • Represent client on fee and tax disputes related to operations.
    • Support client on guidance on federal laws to understand the risks and to structure transactions to ensure best compliance.

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