Malerba and Mitchell to present at the Nassau County Bar Association

On May 7, Benjamin Malerba and Gregory Mitchell, members of Rivkin Radler’s Health Services Practice Group, will be presenting a program entitled, “Medical Marijuana Comes to New York State,” at the Nassau County Bar Association. 

Ben will be speaking about the New York program, including the registration of patients, how physicians may certify patients, and how entities interested in growing and distributing marijuana can obtain a license to do so. He will also briefly discuss the New York State Bar ethics opinion regarding an attorney’s ability to counsel a client regarding marijuana while the federal prohibition remains.

Greg will address the complex federal issues that arise in the medical marijuana field. As marijuana in any form remains illegal under federal law,  those involved in marijuana production or use in New York face numerous risks and hurdles. These include the risk of federal prosecution under the Controlled Substances Act for possessing marijuana, and issues with the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and various banking laws for producing it. He will discuss how these federal laws have been applied, and how those in other states have navigated these issues.