Senator Dan Hall (R-Burnsville) voted for the final, restrictive medical cannabis bill, although he'd voted against a broader version that allowed smoking the plant; he'd also supported the idea that landlords should be able to discriminate against renting to tenants who are patients using medical marijuana.
But those doubts aren't stopping Thompson Hall Santi Cerny & Dooley, the law firm where he serves as Vice President of Business Relations, from petitioning the Minnesota Supreme Court to get a piece of the action as Minnesota's medical cannabis industry gears up.
At the International Business Times, Philip Ross reports in Minnesota And Medical Marijuana: Lawyers Seek Court’s Consent To Work With Pot Businesses:
Minnesota’s newly passed medical marijuana law legalized pot for the treatment of certain ailments and permits two marijuana manufacturers and four dispensaries to operate in the state. Medical professionals estimate the law will benefit some 5,000 patients, but its implementation is hampered by other state laws that restrict lawyers from giving legal counsel to prospective business owners in the nascent legal pot industry.
“We’ve already been contacted by potential entrepreneurs who want to form an LLC,” Maureen Carlson, a business attorney with Thompson Hall law firm in Minneapolis, told International Business Times. “The problem is, we can’t advise them.”
Minnesota law prohibits lawyers from working with clients on illicit activities, and marijuana remains an illegal substance under federal law. Thompson Hall is behind a petition submitted Wednesday with the Minnesota Supreme Court that would amend the state’s rules to authorize lawyers to work with businesses wanting to enter the legal marijuana industry.
“It’s in the public interest to have attorneys involved,” Carlson said. “We need to make sure these companies are complying with the law, have all the right contracts. The marijuana industry is on the forefront [of legalization in the state] and we’re trying to play catchup.”
Thompson Hall has already set up a page for Minnesota Medical Marijuana Business Law – Cannabis Business FAQ, along with some articles about medical marijuana law by Jesse Hall, a former Thompson Hall practice member now with the Masterson Hall firm in Colorado. Jesse Hall is Senator Hall's son, as is Aaron Hall.
Under Minnesota's new law, two medical cannabis manufacturers will be selected to operate growing and processing facilities; the cannabis will be distributed at eight facilities operated by the manufacturers.
A prolific tweeter (and retweeter of Thompson Hall news), Hall didn't share this development with his thousands of followers. Perhaps Hall shares a few common followers with the anti-medical cannabis group Minnesota Family Council, which finds common ground with Hall on trying to keep cute boys from marrying each other.
Photo: Dan Hall, state senator and vice president for business relations at wannabe medical marijuana law firm Thompson Hall. Thompson Hall, for its part, is a very highly regarded firm, and Bluestem thinks the petition is a good idea, since a business that's legal in Minnesota should be able to secure legal advice. Indeed, had Hall supported the more expansive bill for up to 53 alternative treatment centers, the firm might have helped more clients.
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My father, Senator Dan Hall, is not making a dollar from the cannabis industry. However, some attorneys in our law firm are very involved, as the Star Tribune recently noted: http://thompsonhall.com/star-tribune-business-law-firm-at-center-of-new-industry/
1. Our law firm petitioned the Supreme Court for the medical cannabis industry: http://thompsonhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/2014-07-29-Supreme-Court-Marijuana-Petition.pdf
2. Our law firm submitted an Advisory Opinion Request with the Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board: http://thompsonhall.com/press/business-attorneys-ask-minnesota-supreme-court-to-change-ethics-rule-that-prohibits-representing-marijuana-businesses/advisory-opinion-request-may-15-2014/
3. Our law firm organized an event for the local medical cannabis industry: http://thompsonhall.com/events/medical-marijuana-business-conference/
4. Our law firm is publishing legal articles as a resource to medical cannabis business owners: http://thompsonhall.com/minnesota-medical-marijuana-business-law-cannabis-business-faq/
Aaron Hall
CEO & Business Attorney
Thompson Hall
901 Marquette Avenue
AT&T Tower Suite 1675
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
612-466-0010 | Phone
612-437-4500 | Fax
ThompsonHall.com
[email protected]
Editor's note: We appreciate the clarification.
Posted by: Aaron Hall | Aug 05, 2014 at 04:06 PM