Marijuana Law Needs Attorneys

Thousands of people attended the Colorado Cannabis Convention this weekend to learn more about starting a medical marijuana clinic. The good news is that there is a growing need for attorneys to help these clinics get started.

Back in 2000, voters in Colorado approved Amendment 20, which made the use of marijuana legal for those suffering with medical conditions. But now, attorney Robert Corry says that, “The government has taken notice of us, and they’re trying to regulate this industry out of business.” Corry and other attorneys have started marijuana advocacy groups to push for legislation that will ensure the industry is regulated by the free market and not the government.

Until 2008, patients who needed marijuana had no problem getting referrals from their doctors to get the drug or were given a “caregiver” who could grow up to six plants to supply them. That all changed last year when the U.S. Attorney General Holder announced that the Justice Department wouldn’t prosecute dispensaries that were popping up in other states.

As a result, there are a lot of dispensaries and not enough attorneys on hand to help them organize and give the new owners advice. Attorney Tae Darnell warns attorneys that, “You have to remember that this still is against federal law,” Darnell said during a panel discussion at the weekend convention. “You have to tread carefully.”

Well, it’s an alternative to document review or sh*t law, and if the clients can’t pay with cash, they can always bring in one of their plants as payment.

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