Agenda / Content Covered

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Central, Ashton A. Handley

• The Federal and State Legalization Landscape in 2021
  • Classification Under the Controlled Substance Act
  • Federal Memorandums (Ogden-Cole-Sessions) and Enforcement Realities
  • Understanding Oklahoma's Approach to Legalization
  • Preemption and Conflict of Law
  • Current Legal and Economic State of the Hemp and CBD Industries
  • Policy and Reform Developments Today and Tomorrow

11:15 AM - 12:15 AM Central, Donald E. Gies III

• Regulatory Areas of Concern in Oklahoma
  • Who's Regulating What: State and Local Agency Enforcement Overview
  • Land Use and Environmental Restrictions
  • Premises Security
  • Marketing and Advertising Restrictions
  • Preparing for State Regulatory Inspections
• The Oklahoma Permitting and Licensing Process
  • Identifying Licensing Requirements for the Business
  • The Application Procedure, Step by Step
  • Grounds for License Refusal
  • Overcoming Application and Business Plan Red Flags

DONALD E. GIES III is the founder of Gies Law Firm, PLLC, a firm focused primarily in cannabis law, where he represents dozens of patients, growers, processors, and dispensaries in a range of matters across the state. This includes licensing, regulatory compliance, business entity formation, partnership agreements, and general contracting and negotiation. Mr. Gies has extensive experience in the cannabis industry, having previously worked in the San Francisco Bay area on legislative and policy work for marijuana activist Richard Lee at Oaksterdam University in Oakland, while working on ballot initiative, Proposition 19, campaigning for the decriminalization and legalization of medical marijuana in California. Mr. Geis earned his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State Spears School of Business and his J.D. degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law.

ASHTON A. HANDLEY is a trial lawyer and partner at the Handley Law Center. Mr. Handley is a leader in the emerging field of medical cannabis law. He also represents clients in central Oklahoma involved in high asset divorce and family law litigation, as well as defending clients charged with criminal offenses. Mr. Handley serves on the Advisory Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Association for Justice, and is a member of the American Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association, Canadian County Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Public Justice Foundation, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, International Society of Primerus Law Firms, and is a fellow of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation. He earned his B.A. degree from Loyola University and his J.D. degree from Tulsa University’s College of Law.