The continuing education for legal professionals will cover an overview of current state law regarding medical marijuana, employment and accomodation, and driving under the influence of pot, among other legal topics.
Medical pot was legalized in Ohio in 2016, and the Ohio State Bar Association has provided smaller presentations about the legal issues surrounding it in the past three years, but this is its first full-day conference on the subject.
“I think it’s a rolling stone type issue, actually maybe a snowball,” says John Izzo, a presenter at the conference. “Because as time has gone on there’s more and more to talk about.”
Izzo is a lawyer for Graff and McGovern whose presentation focuses on representing Ohio clients in the cannabis industry. He says when the law was first approved, there wasn’t much detail past the text of the bill itself.
“Now we have rules, now we have a lot of lawsuits that have happened, who should get a license, who won’t be getting a license, and because of that we definitely have a lot to talk about in the community,” Izzo says.
While he hasn’t seen any clients get in trouble with the law, Izzo says the thorniest subject within this legal field is the contradiction between federal law that prohibits marijuana use of any kind, and state laws like Ohio’s that allow for it in certain circumstances.
“It’s that dichotomy in the laws: trying to keep people in accordance with the state law while also trying to avoid any problems with the federal laws,” he says.
Here’s Their Full Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Emily Chapman
(614) 487-4472
Columbus, Ohio (Sept. 26, 2019) — On Oct. 3, 2019 the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) will host experts in cannabis law for a comprehensive overview of what Ohio attorneys need to know about the rapidly growing industry. This will be the OSBA’s first full-day Cannabis Law Conference.
The six-hour seminar, which counts for continuing legal education (CLE) credit for attorneys, will tackle hot topics in cannabis law at the state and national level. The keynote speakers are Bret Kravitz, Chief Corporate Counsel for Green Thumb Industries in Chicago, and Scott Everett, Vice President of Member Services and General Counsel for Wright-Patt Credit Union. They will address how the “green rush” in Ohio and across the country has caused changes to laws surrounding cannabis.
The conference is relevant to attorneys across many practice areas, including health care, criminal, business and labor and employment law. In addition to the keynote overview, speakers will address laws surrounding the use of marijuana, both medicinal and the implications of driving under the influence. The seminar will also cover the business of cannabis, from mergers and acquisitions to employment law.
Topics and speakers include:
- Medical Marijuana in Ohio: Overview of the Current State of the Law
- Douglas Berman, OSU Moritz College of Law
- Thomas Haren, Frantz Ward LLP
- Representing Ohio Clients in the Cannabis Industry
- Brian Laliberte, Laliberte LLC
- John Izzo, Graff & McGovern
- Keynote Presentation: Hot Topics in State and National Cannabis Law
- Bret Kravitz, Green Thumb Industries
- Scott Everett, Wright-Patt Credit Union
- Driving Under the Influence of Marijuana and Other Drugs
- D. Timothy Huey, Huey Defense Firm
- Robert E. Calesaric, Attorney at Law in Newark
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Benton Bodamer, Dickinson Wright
- Employment and Accommodation Law Update
- Sara Jodka, Dickinson Wright
Attorneys unable to attend the event at the OSBA office in Columbus can tune in to the live interactive webinar or participate at these simulcast locations:
- Akron
- Celina
- Cleveland
- Fairfield
- Perrysburg
Attorneys can register for the conference at www.ohiobar.org/cle19-352. OSBA members will receive a discount on registration fees.
For more information or to cover the event, please contact Emily Chapman at echapman@ohiobar.org or (614) 487-4472
