Since its founding in 2010, Vicente LLP has been at the forefront of cannabis and psychedelics law, policy, and advocacy. From medical marijuana and adult-use cannabis to hemp and psilocybin, Vicente has been at the leading edge of the passage and implementation of state and local laws, as well as an important player in major federal reform movements. For 15 years, the firm has played an active and influential role in advancing the cannabis and psychedelics sectors and has consistently pushed the envelope for broader reform.
As the firm celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, we reflect on 15 milestones in Vicente's history that highlight the firm's growth, commitment to advocacy, and the important role it has played in cannabis law, psychedelics law, and drug policy reform.
1. Vicente Sederberg LLP is founded in Colorado, where it helps establish the first regulated medical cannabis market.
Denver-based attorney Brian Vicente and law student Joshua Kappel were operating Sensible Colorado, a nonprofit organization that laid the groundwork for the state's medical dispensary system through impact litigation, public education, patient and caregiver organizing, and direct lobbying. Local corporate attorney Christian Sederberg joined them in 2010 to form Vicente Sederberg, and the three founding partners played key roles throughout the development, implementation, and evolution of Colorado's state-regulated medical cannabis market—the first of its kind globally.
Since then, the firm has grown from a handful of employees working out of an office in Denver to nearly 60 employees working out of offices around the country. In late 2022, Christian Sederberg transitioned his role from partner to special advisor and the firm was renamed Vicente LLP. While the firm remains committed to advocacy, it has greatly expanded its scope. Today, the firm provides a full suite of legal, licensing, corporate, regulatory, litigation and compliance services to a wide variety of business, nonprofit, and government clients from all sectors.
2. Vicente plays a crucial role in Colorado's historic cannabis legalization initiative, Amendment 64.
With support from the Marijuana Policy Project, the Drug Policy Alliance, and others, members of the Vicente team played leading roles in drafting, passing, and implementing Amendment 64, making Colorado the first jurisdiction in the world to legalize and regulate cannabis for adult use. Brian Vicente was a lead drafter of the historic law as well as the co-director of the successful campaign that made cannabis legalization a reality. Firm leaders also spearheaded the passage of the adult-use tax measures in 2013, which were crucial to getting the system off the ground.
In 2016, Vicente played a leading role in drafting and campaigning for the Initiated Ordinance 300, which would have authorized social consumption in designated venues in Denver. Although city officials rendered the measure virtually unworkable by creating unfair setbacks and restrictions, the measure opened the public dialogue on social use and set the stage for future legislation at the state and local levels.
Since then, the firm has remained intimately involved in state and local cannabis policy matters in Colorado, ranging from licensing and compliance issues to social equity, delivery, and social consumption. Members of the team continue to participate in regulatory working groups and lobbying efforts, as well as programs aimed at repairing the damages caused by prohibition.
In 2022, the firm hosted an event to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Amendment 64. The event brought together current and former state officials such as Gov. Jared Polis and Sen. John Hickenlooper, along with advocates and business leaders in Colorado’s cannabis industry.
3. Vicente takes the national and world stage, becoming a global leader in the cannabis space.
Following the smooth rollout of Amendment 64, Vicente became the go-to law firm for guidance on cannabis law and policy. In 2014, Vicente assisted government officials from Uruguay in developing the world's first nationally regulated adult-use market. It also helped launch the Council on Responsible Cannabis Regulation, through which team members organized fact-finding missions for officials from around the U.S. and at least a dozen other countries across four continents.
Vicente has also been heavily engaged in advocacy organizations at the national and state levels. The firm is a founding member of the National Cannabis Industry Association, the Cannabis Trade Federation, the U.S. Cannabis Council, the National Hispanic Cannabis Council, and Colorado Leads. It has also joined the Marijuana Policy Project Policy Council and the board of the Cannabis Voter Project. Firm leaders have also served as board chairs or members for many of these groups and others, lending their knowledge and pro bono legal guidance.
As medical and adult-use cannabis legalization has spread across the country, entrepreneurs have looked to Vicente for guidance as they navigate state licensing processes. Under the leadership of partners Brian Vicente and Jerrico Perez, Vicente’s Licensing Department has an unparalleled track record of success in helping clients win licenses in competitive processes. Vicente has helped clients successfully obtain licenses in over 30 states and hundreds of localities across the U.S. and Canada.
4. Vicente’s Boston office opens, and the firm quickly makes its presence felt on the East Coast.
The firm's second office was established in Boston in 2013, shortly after Massachusetts passed its medical cannabis law. Vicente engaged in the regulatory process during implementation, developing strong relationships with lawmakers, regulators, industry members, and advocates. When the time came to push for broader legalization, it assisted the Marijuana Policy Project with drafting Question 4, and the firm’s Boston office played a significant role in the successful 2016 campaign. The following year, Boston office managing partner Adam Fine served as co-counsel in a landmark patients' rights case, Barbuto v. Advantage Sales and Marketing, LLC. It resulted in the state Supreme Judicial Court’s groundbreaking ruling that employees fired for using medical cannabis can sue their employers for disability discrimination.
Over the last several years, Vicente has provided pro bono services to participants in the Commonwealth's social equity and economic empowerment programs and partnered with Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education to create a CLE scholarship for attorneys who do the same. Notably, in 2024, Boston-based partner and co-chair of the firm’s Corporate Department, Jeremy Shaw, aided in the restructuring of a client’s Massachusetts corporation to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). This company became the first known ESOP in the Massachusetts cannabis industry and was the largest ESOP nationwide.
5. Vicente expands to the West Coast, opening an office in Los Angeles.
With California poised to legalize and regulate cannabis for adult use in 2016, Vicente opened an office in Los Angeles to prepare for the rigorous state and local implementation processes that were sure to follow. In addition to helping a wide variety of clients navigate the new system, the firm represented municipal governments in their development of local regulatory systems. The LA office, led by partner Cassia Furman, actively collaborated with a variety of local stakeholder groups, such as the California Cannabis Industry Association, the California Growers Association, the California Hemp Council, and the Southern California Coalition.
Vicente also participated in the LA County Bar Association Social Equity Committee, which was tasked with drafting templates for LA's social equity cannabis licensing program, and it provides pro bono services to social equity applicants in the LA Department of Cannabis Regulation's pilot program.
6. Vicente formally launches its hemp and cannabinoids practice and establishes itself as an international leader in hemp and cannabinoid law and policy.
The firm entered the hemp space in 2012 after it helped legalize hemp cultivation in Colorado, but it truly became a powerhouse in the field after formally launching its Hemp & Cannabinoids Department in 2017. It has helped a wide variety of private and public sector clients navigate hemp laws and regulations, representing everyone from businesses to trade associations to local governments. After Congress lifted the federal ban on hemp cultivation, Vicente led the drafting of policy recommendations and a model plan for state hemp programs that provided policymakers across the U.S. with a guide to developing federally compliant state regulatory regimes. Chair of the hemp practice, partner Shawn Hauser, even provided in-person testimony to the Food and Drug Administration on behalf of the Cannabis Trade Federation and has also presented to the U.K. Parliament. At the state level, the Vicente team has participated in the Colorado Department of Agriculture's Hemp Advancement and Management Plan, performed pro bono work for the Massachusetts Hemp Coalition, played a key role in passing Texas' hemp legalization law, and lobbied for Minnesota’s groundbreaking hemp-derived THC legislation, among others.
As the hemp industry continued to expand with the increased popularity of hemp-infused products, Vicente developed its Hemp & Cannabinoid Compliance Guide. This series of charts was created to help clients stay compliant with the complex state-by-state patchwork of laws and regulations for hemp-derived products and ingredients in food, beverages, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and inhalable products.
7. As cannabis reform spreads across the country, Vicente moves to the South, opening a Florida office.
Florida was working to implement its voter-approved medical cannabis law when the firm opened an office in Jacksonville in 2018. Just over a year later, the partner managing the office, Sally Kent Peebles, was appointed to the Florida Department of Agriculture's Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee. In addition to working on policy and regulatory issues in Florida, Vicente has helped multiple clients win medical cannabis business licenses in the state and continues to provide corporate, compliance, and real estate guidance to Florida cannabis businesses. Vicente has also assisted clients in obtaining cannabis business licenses in other Southern states, including Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Vicente continues to monitor and support cannabis policy reform efforts in the region and looks forward to Florida’s potential legalization efforts in 2026 after Amendment 3 fell just short of the 60% of votes needed to pass in 2024.
8. Vicente launches in the New York Tri-State Area, further strengthening its East Coast operations.
The firm opened an office in New York City in 2019, managed by partner Brandon Kurtzman, and followed with a New Jersey office in 2020, led by partner Jennifer Cabrera, to accommodate the expanding needs of its East Coast clients and those looking to invest or explore opportunities in the dynamic tri-state area.
As reform spread across the region, the Vicente team participated in the extensive rulemaking processes and helped businesses obtain cannabis business licenses through extremely competitive application processes in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. As new licenses become available, such as the Adult-Use Processor Type 3 Branding licenses in New York and Cannabis Consumption Area Endorsements in New Jersey, the firm continues assisting cannabis entrepreneurs in building their new businesses from scratch, getting licensed, obtaining property, and maintaining compliance in this highly regulated industry.
9. Vicente attorneys literally write the book on cannabis law.
With contributions from several of the firm’s leading attorneys and policy specialists, partners Charles Alovisetti and Cassia Furman co-authored The Cannabis Business: Understanding Law, Finance, and Governance in America’s Newest Industry.
Published by Routledge in December 2020, this book is a comprehensive primer on all things cannabis law and is a must-have for anyone seeking to understand the major practical legal issues facing the cannabis industry. It clears the confusion around topics such as the distinction between hemp and cannabis and why it matters for consumers and regulators, why CBD isn't completely legal in the U.S., why and how states differ in their licensing processes, and how deal structuring is impacted by state regulations. All author profits have been donated to the Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to repairing the harms of cannabis prohibition through intervention, advocacy and awareness.
10. Vicente expands service offerings in the Midwest by opening an office in Michigan.
The firm expanded services in Michigan in 2021 with the hire of partner Travis Copenhaver and the opening of an Ann Arbor office. Travis began his career in cannabis working with one of the key authors of the legislation that became PA 281 of 2016, the Michigan Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act, and later served as a member of the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency’s Stakeholder Workgroup for Special Licenses. Vicente’s Michigan team advises new and existing medical and adult-use marijuana companies on initiating, developing, and expanding their presence in the Michigan cannabis market.
As the Michigan cannabis market continues to mature, we're keeping a close eye on regulatory enforcement trends and the upcoming massive regulatory changes in 2025 by the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency that will greatly impact the industry.
11. Vicente enters the next frontier in drug policy reform and eventually plays a leading role in Colorado’s historic psychedelics initiative, Proposition 122 – the Natural Medicine Health Act.
The firm’s venture into psychedelic policy began with helping draft Initiated Ordinance 301, 2019’s Denver Psilocybin Initiative, which was the first successful city ordinance in the world to effectively decriminalize the possession of psilocybin and promote research into its therapeutic benefits. Not long after, the firm formally launched its Psychedelics & Emerging Therapies Department and went on to draft other measures and support initiatives nationwide.
A few years later, founding partner Joshua Kappel played a pivotal role in the Proposition 122 campaign, serving as a co-drafter and chair of the campaign’s issue committee. Vicente’s Psychedelics & Emerging Therapies practice team members remain involved in the implementation of the Natural Medicine Health Act (NMHA), including testifying at public rulemaking meetings and providing legal and policy guidance that influences key regulations. The firm’s advocacy has been important in developing a regulatory framework that balances public safety, equitable access and Indigenous knowledge preservation. Vicente is actively helping clients interested in participating in Colorado’s natural medicine space with navigating the complexities of psychedelics law, advising on corporate structuring, applying for licensure, and maintaining compliance. Vicente is looking forward to continuing to advise clients in Colorado and beyond and working to shape state and national conversations around responsible access and psychedelic policy reform.
12. Vicente opens an office in Minnesota, a state poised to become a Midwestern cannabis industry powerhouse.
In 2023, leading Minneapolis cannabis attorney Jason Tarasek joined Vicente LLP and his practice became Vicente’s Minneapolis office, just as the North Star State was about to become the 23rd state to legalize cannabis for adult use. Jason is co-founder of Minnesotans for Responsible Marijuana Regulation, a multi-partisan advocacy group that was formed to support marijuana legalization. MRMR was one of three groups that joined forces to launch the MNISREADY Coalition, which was instrumental in shaping adult-use marijuana legislation in 2023. Over several months that year, Jason worked closely with chief bill authors Sen. Lindsey Port, Rep. Zack Stephenson and legislative staff to fine-tune that landmark legislation. In 2024, he continued to advocate for a sensible policy as the state implemented the adult-use cannabis program while expanding Minnesota’s trailblazing hemp-derived cannabinoid beverage industry.
Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis program launched in late 2024 and the firm’s Minnesota team has been very busy assisting clients with setting up their businesses and preparing licensing applications. The Vicente team is also offering guidance on starting and operating cannabis programs to Tribal Nations in Minnesota and other regions.
13. Vicente broadens its service offerings by officially launching a Litigation & Arbitration Department.
With the hiring of seasoned litigation partner Timothy Swain, the firm began offering a full suite of litigation services in early 2024 to meet client demand for dispute resolution, including complex business disputes, to interests in real property, zoning, securities law, fraud, intellectual property breach of contract and more.
In a short time, this department achieved significant wins, including an historic legal settlement authorizing the transport of marijuana over state territorial waters in Massachusetts. Highlighting Vicente’s unique ability to coalesce traditional law practice with the intricacies of cannabis law, the team made national news in June 2024 when the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) issued an administrative order allowing for the first-ever maritime transport of state-legal marijuana within the Commonwealth. The order was part of the settlement of a lawsuit Vicente filed on behalf of licensees located on the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Led by practice leader Adam Fine, Vicente filed the lawsuit on behalf of Patient Centric of Martha’s Vineyard Ltd. d/b/a Island Time and The Green Lady Dispensary, Inc. against the CCC after wholesale marijuana shortages threatened the survival of island-based dispensary Island Time as well as Martha’s Vineyard’s legal cannabis market at large. Nine days after Vicente filed suit, the CCC voted to enter settlement negotiations to allow the shipment of marijuana over intrastate waterways—a historic win for state sovereignty.
14. Vicente continues being a leader in cannabis reform, this time advocating for the rescheduling of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III.
Rescheduling cannabis has been a top priority for marijuana patients, physicians, businesses and consumers over the last few years, and Vicente LLP has been a leader in advocating for this federal reclassification of cannabis in line with the Biden administration's review of its current Schedule I status. During that time, Vicente attorneys played a key role in developing The Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform’s report detailing the legal and scientific arguments in support of descheduling or significantly rescheduling cannabis, which serves as the cornerstone of the national advocacy campaign and created a broad coalition of support from doctors and businesses. The firm also played a pivotal role as legal counsel for a groundbreaking coalition, the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp’s Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform. In this role, the Vicente team provided legal counsel and published a memorandum to support that rescheduling can be accomplished in compliance with international treaty obligations. This initiative was critical as it aimed to align US cannabis controls in rescheduling to Schedule III (pursuant to FDA/DEA’s recommendation) with international treaty obligations under the Single Convention, addressing complex domestic and international legal and regulatory frameworks.
The hearings on the proposed rulemaking to reschedule cannabis were scheduled to begin on January 21, 2025, but were postponed for at least three months due to an appeal. You can be sure the Vicente team will be closely watching to see what transpires.
15. Vicente further strengthens its East Coast market and federal policy presence with the opening of a Maryland office.
In 2023, a new cannabis market opened when Maryland began implementing the state’s adult-use cannabis program. Already representing Maryland cannabis businesses since the inception of the state’s medical cannabis industry, Vicente LLP continued working with entrepreneurs on their cannabis business license applications, business plans, and other matters to help them on their path to owning a successful cannabis business. In June 2024, the firm officially expanded to Maryland, opening an office near Washington, DC with partner Charles Alovisetti managing the office and partner Meg Nash leading the Maryland team. Through this office, the firm continues to provide unparalleled knowledge and service to new and existing clients in Maryland and Washington, D.C., while its Federal and International Law practice group actively works with policymakers to shape and advocate for federal policies that advance the cannabis and psychedelics fields.
(Honorable Mention) Vicente keeps its eyes on Texas.
The firm has deep roots in the Lone Star State, where members of the team have been working hard for many years to shape cannabis policy reform. Texas currently has one of the biggest hemp markets in the country despite the fact that adult use remains illegal and the state’s medical cannabis program is among the most restrictive in the nation. However, some localities voted to decriminalize cannabis in 2024 and a lot could change in the upcoming legislative sessions.
Vicente’s Texas practice is managed by partner Shawn Hauser, who led the Vicente team in playing a key role in the passage of House Bill 1325, which legalized and regulated hemp production in Texas. The firm assisted legislative staff with the drafting of an interim report on the subject, then testified at legislative hearings and worked closely with local advocates and lobbyists to solidify support among lawmakers. With a satellite office located in Austin’s Barton Springs neighborhood, the team continues to support the state’s hemp businesses and advocate for sensible cannabis policy.
Looking Forward
Vicente LLP’s roots in the drug policy reform movement were born not only from our interest in navigating the law but also from our passion for changing laws and developing policies to improve our community and the lives of others. This activist spirit and commitment to the common good have remained at the core of our firm's culture and identity for over a decade. Looking back on the past reminds us of all the work that remains to be done in the future. We’re looking forward to helping clients navigate the laws and regulations and build and grow their businesses, and we'll continue putting in the work to shape public policy to advance the legal marijuana, hemp, and psychedelics sectors across the globe.