Frantz Ward Client Obtains Favorable Ruling in Medical Marijuana Litigation

Frantz Ward’s client, Greenleaf Gardens, LLC was granted summary judgment in an Order from the Common Pleas Court in Franklin County, finding that the method used to issue Level I medical marijuana cultivator licenses is unconstitutional on its face. The Department of Commerce initially…

Ohio Releases Dispensary Applications as the Federal Government Continues To Send Conflicting Signals on Legal Marijuana

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy releases model dispensary applications Today the Ohio Board of Pharmacy released, through the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program Website, the application materials for Ohio dispensaries. The Board will accept applications electronically beginning on November 3 at 8:00am and ending…

BIG NEWS: DOJ recommends marijuana policy status quo over federal crackdown

Shortly after being confirmed as Attorney General, Jeff Sessions created various task forces to review Obama-era DOJ policies. In late July he received a report back from the task force evaluating federal marijuana enforcement policy, and the Associated Press is reporting that the news…

Ohio Marijuana Law Update: cultivator applications, processor rule changes, proposed THC limits, and the ever-shifting federal landscape

What you need to know about Ohio’s medical marijuana industry from an Ohio medical marijuana attorney.

Join me at the Ohio Canna-Business Seminar!

This Saturday, February 25, I will be speaking on a panel at the MPP Ohio Canna-Business Seminar in Columbus. My firm, Seeley, Savidge, Ebert & Gourash Co., LPA, is also one of the event’s sponsors. MPP promises “a deep dive into Ohio’s emerging medical cannabis program…

Trump taps Jeff Sessions for Attorney General nominee: what does this mean for legal marijuana?

The cannabis community has been eagerly waiting to learn whom Donald Trump would nominate as the nation’s top law enforcement officer, and it appears we have our answer: Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. So what does this mean for legal marijuana? Let’s first start with a quick…

Ohio Supreme Court formally adopts Amendment to Rule 1.2, clarifying that Ohio lawyers can advise medical marijuana companies

Bringing the uproar surrounding attorney representation of Ohio medical marijuana clients largely to an end, on September 20th the Ohio Supreme Court formally adopted an amendment to Prof.Cond.R. 1.2(d). The new Rule 1.d(d) reads: (d)(1) A lawyer shall not counsel a client to engage, or assist…

Attorney Ethics and Legal Marijuana: Ohio Supreme Court Proposes Partial Fix

We’ve covered the ethical issues associated with legal marijuana on this blog previously, including the August 2016 advisory opinion issued by the Board of Professional Conduct. Today, the Ohio Supreme Court proposed a rule change to Rule 1.2 that would allow attorneys to represent…

Attorney Ethics and Legal Marijuana: Amendments Proposed to Rules 1.2 and 8.4

The recent advisory opinion issued by the Ohio Supreme Court Board of Professional Conduct has led to a myriad of concerns among lawyers and others in Ohio’s medical marijuana community. Thankfully, the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court is aware and the Court…

Attorney Ethics and Legal Marijuana: Advisory Opinion 2016-6

Summary This past June, a number of Ohio attorneys (including our firm) submitted a request to the Board for an advisory opinion on three distinct issues (for a primer on the professional issues involving Ohio’s medical marijuana law, click here): Whether an Ohio lawyer may ethically…