Although almost half of the states have adopted some form of marijuana legalization, federal law still prohibits the sale and use of the drug. That dichotomy makes a lot of lawyers nervous. Although the U.S. Department of Justice has said that it will relax enforcement in states that have legalized marijuana in some form, the American Bar Association’s model rules of professional conduct bar lawyers from counseling or assisting a client in conduct known to be criminal.
Can attorneys represent clients in a business that may be legal under state law but is illegal under federal law?
