Helping New Cannabis Businesses Navigate Uncharted Legal Territory

The market has changed for Oregon and Washington businesses. Recent legislation in both states legalizing cannabis for medicinal and recreational use has opened up a previously underground segment to explosive profit potential. Businesses once operating in the shadows are now operating openly and thriving. Businesspeople and investors who used to shy away from the previously risky industry are looking at finding ways to enter the enormous category.

What was once criminal in some cases is now legal in many cases. What does that mean? What can you do? What can’t you do?

If you are opening a marijuana business in Oregon or Washington, many lawyers can tell you what you can do under the plain letter of the law. But if you are making a major investment in opening a business, you need to talk to an experienced business attorney for help understanding what you should do.

Legal Advice From Experienced Business Attorneys

If you are planning on opening a marijuana dispensary business, you need legal advice. But you don’t just need any legal advice. You need the right legal advice from a law firm that knows what it is doing. If you plan on running your marijuana dispensary like a business, you need a business attorney.

We are business attorneys. We are entrepreneurs. Our skill set is different from most business firms and it is uniquely suited to provide legal advice to our clients seeking to establish marijuana-based businesses in Oregon or Washington state.

The legal landscape for marijuana is new and ever-changing. You need a law firm with well-developed business fundamentals pertaining to food, beverage and cannabis law issues, not a general practitioner or a criminal lawyer turned “business lawyer.” To arrange a free consultation, call 503-567-1234.

Slinde Nelson can assist you with:

• Licensing: The marijuana business attorneys at Slinde Nelson can help you obtain the proper licensing to grow and sell marijuana. Whether you are building a medical marijuana dispensary or a legally compliant retail operation, we can help you obtain the licensing you need.
• Business structure/Financing and investment strategies: From a small operation to a large, well-funded commercial venture, you need to choose the entity that is right for you and your business goals. We can help with entity formation, financing strategy and structure, and all of your investor relations needs. Setting up your company the right way from the beginning is absolutely critical. Providing you infrastructure to build on is what we do.
• Banking and vendor relationships: If you’ve spent any time in the marijuana industry, you know that certain challenges arise just by virtue of the way some people view the industry — even if you’re the most professional businessperson in town. Our creative approach to banking, vendor and distribution relationships can help you navigate some of those waters smoothly and with an air of perceived legitimacy.
• Landlord-tenant relationships and zoning: Commercial leasing in the marijuana business is a little different than opening another brick and mortar storefront. Often, you will need some perceived legitimacy in attempting to persuade a Washington or Oregon landlord to allow you to operate a marijuana-based business out of its space. Once you get agreement, you need to make sure you are compliant with all relevant zoning laws and you need a carefully tailored commercial lease agreement to ensure that you are able to conduct all of the business out of your space that you need to.
• Government relations: Our team of marijuana business attorneys at Slinde Nelson is experienced in the art of government relations as they pertain to the various marijuana laws. We can help you deal with state and local officials, boards and committees to ensure the smooth operation of your business in a volatile regulatory environment.
• Litigation and administrative hearings: In any new area of law, litigation to interpret the new laws can be unavoidable. It can also be expensive. Our business litigation attorneys know how to represent your interests vigorously, whether that representation is in the courtroom or in front of an administrative body. We are efficient and we are effective.

Maybe most important of all, our team of marijuana business advice lawyers is nimble. The landscape is constantly shifting in this fluid area of law and brand-new area of business. In a segment with this type of profit potential, it is simply good business to have a team of attorneys who are informed, nimble and looking out for your interests so you can run your business.

FEDERAL LAW NOTICE: The possessing and selling of marijuana is a federal crime. We express no opinion on the legality of any clients’ operations under federal law and none of our advice is meant to aid you in the violation of any law. Only you can decide what level of federal criminal risk you are willing to take.

Schedule Your Free Consultation Today

Find out if our firm is right for you during a free consultation. Call our office or contact us online to talk about starting a cannabis-based business in Oregon or Washington.