WA Bar Association: Lawyers Can Use Cannabis, Operate Cannabis Businesses
The Washington State Bar Association’s Ethics Committee has advised that attorneys are free to use cannabis for personal use, and to operate cannabis businesses.
Recently Washington’s Supreme Court made a ruling (Comment [18] to Rule 1.2) that lawyers “who advise clients on marijuana-related activities permitted under state law” aren’t violating Washington’s Rule of Professional Conduct. They didn’t, however, make a ruling on whether or not attorneys can participate in state-legal activities themselves, or if they can operate a legal cannabis business.
To clear up any confusion, the Ethics Committee of the Washington State Bar Association has issued an advisory opinion stating that attorneys are authorized to purchase and consume cannabis if they’re following state law, as long that the cannabis consumption doesn’t interfere with their ability “to provide competent legal advice and otherwise comply with” their ethical obligations.
The committee also ruled that lawyers may be involved in cannabis-related commercial enterprises so long as those businesses are “separate and apart” from their legal practice.
The full advisory opinion can be found by clicking here.
– TheJointBlog
Anonymous
so the ethics committee,bar association and lawers are going to be the kings of weed ……
David
It sounds like they can own business’ just like anyone else who wants to place a bet on investing money in marijuana business’s, This in an economically unstable marijuana market environment and anger over new State laws with possible litigation on the horizon. In for a penny in for a Pound as the old saying goes. If an attorney’s want to become part of that which they help. Who am I to say no ?