Categories : Current Topics Legal Ethics
The Marijuana Dilemma: Ethical Implications of Advising Business that Operates in Violation of Federal Law
By Kelly Knepper-Stephens
Providing legal counsel to a California marijuana dispensary is a tricky business given the existing conflict between state and federal law.[1] The issues facing the marijuana industry require the same type of legal advice any business seeks: corporate law issues such as incorporation or partnership formation, contract law issues such as leases and purchase agreements, employment law issues, as well as criminal law considerations, to name a few.[2] Can an attorney ethically provide any of this needed advice, when the conduct of the business is illegal under federal law?