Amber Littlejohn has served as a lawyer, strategist, and advocate for businesses in emerging markets for more than 15 years. With a nuanced understanding of the interplay between politics, industry, and community, she provides regulatory, government, and business affairs services to businesses, nonprofit organizations, and governments in highly regulated industries including natural consumer products, dietary supplements, cannabis, and hemp. She helps clients evaluate and manage risk and opportunity to create innovative legislative, regulatory, and public engagement strategies to access and grow markets, stabilize supply chains, and reduce crisis frequency and reach.
Named a Top Cannabis Lobbyist by Business Insider, Amber is a nationally recognized voice for the cannabis industry and related policy initiatives appearing regularly in national media outlets. She has testified before Congress on issues including small business capital access and cannabis legalization. She engages regularly with lawmakers and regulators at all levels of government. Prior to her work in cannabis, she was a business owner, strategist, and advocate for specialty consumer packaged goods and consumer health products including dietary supplements and sports nutrition products.
Prior to joining Ice Miller, Amber was president and chief strategic officer for a public affairs firm that provided solutions in the areas of legislative and regulatory policy development, as well as government and regulatory affairs. She also served as counsel, staff, and consultant for several organizations in Washington, D.C., including the American Herbal Products Association, Natural Products Association, and Minority Cannabis Business Association.
Amber currently Serves as Vice President of Strategic Planning for the Cannabis Bar Association. Previously, she served as a Board Member of the United States Hemp Authority, and as Convening Officer of Minority Engagement for the United States Hemp Roundtable.
Amber’s application to practice in the District of Columbia is pending and she is working under the supervision of partners of the firm.
Selected Experience
- Congressional Witness, Hearing: “Developments in State Cannabis Laws and Bipartisan Cannabis Reforms at the Federal Level” House Committee on Oversight, Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Remedies (November 15, 2022)
- Congressional Witness, Virtual Hearing: “Small Businesses, Big Impact: Ensuring Small and Minority-Owned Businesses Share in the Economic Recovery” House Financial Services Committee, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions (February 17, 2022)
Firm Publications
News
Published In
- Author, “Minority Cannabis Business Association National Equity Report,” Minority Cannabis Business Association (February 2022)
Speaking Engagements
- Panelist, "What Can the World of Psychedelics Learn from the World of Cannabis?" the National Cannabis Festival in DC (April 2023)
- Speaker, "Ready, Set, Grow! Cannabis Symposium" Cannabis Law Association at Sounthern University System (March 2023)
- Panelist, “ESG Policies: The Backbone Your Company Needs to Thrive in Today’s Market,” MJ Biz Con (November 2022)
- Keynote Moderator, INCBA Fireside Chat with U.S. Representatives Ed Perlmutter and Dave Joyce (June 2022)
- Panelist, “Achieving Social and Economic Equity in the Industry: Where Are We Now and Where Do We Need to Be?” Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) Stakeholder Conference (June 2022)
- Speaker, “Regenerative Society – Restorative Justice, DEI, and Social Impact,” Regenerative Cannabis Live, United Nations, New York, NY (May 2022)
- Roundtable Speaker, Association of Attorneys General Cannabis Conference (April 2022)
- Panelist, Cannabis Panel, U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Issues Summit (March 2022)