Environmental Issues in the Cannabis Industry: Evolving Regulations and Litigation for Marijuana, CBD, and Hemp

Ms. Mettler-LaFeir primarily concentrates her practice on environmental law. She advises energy utilities on complex state and federal environmental laws related to the development of energy resources and operations involving electrical generation. She also counsels businesses on project development and operations as well as applicable environmental laws. Ms. Mettler-LaFeir’s practice involves compliance, permitting, transactional, and litigation work under various environmental statutes, with a concentration on the Clean Air Act, climate change, the Clean Water Act, and environmental remediation.

Ms. Shoonmaker’s practice includes both litigation and regulatory matters arising under FIFRA, the Clean Water Act, and related environmental laws. Under FIFRA, she represents pesticide companies in data compensation arbitrations, focusing on defending the rights of data owners against follow-on registrants of pesticides. Ms. Shoonmaker has also worked extensively with task forces comprised of national and multinational companies of all sizes that operate as joint ventures or limited liability companies to generate data and other information to meet government requirements under FIFRA. She is Co-Leader of the firm’s Cannabis Practice Group.

Mr. Strunk has more than 20 years of experience litigating complex environmental and toxic tort disputes. He focuses on the defense of large, multi-party environmental matters, including mass tort and products liability litigation involving alleged toxic injury arising from asbestos, lead, mold, solvents, and other contaminants. Over the past five years, Mr. Strunk has developed a significant industrial hemp and cannabis practice, defending ancillary and plant-touching businesses in environmental disputes and litigation.

Mr. Ferguson is a land use and government and regulatory attorney. He represents and advises clients on land use and environmental matters related to regulatory compliance with a variety of planning and zoning regulations, including the California Environmental Quality Act. He also represents and advises clients on government and regulatory issues, including government contracts, regulatory compliance with ethics and conflict of interest requirements, prevailing wage issues, and other issues that arise when interfacing with public agenciesMr. Ferguson provides legal services to cities, special districts, and private clients. He is well-versed in issues surrounding emerging technologies and the sharing economy, land use and planning laws, conflicts of interest, free speech regulations, privacy rights, public safety regulations, and elections law matters. Mr. Ferguson is a frequent author and lecturer on the sharing economy, among other emerging issues.