NORML’s Key West Legal Seminar has outstanding speakers from around the country presenting important topics such as: issues related to defense of marijuana consumers, legal issues in the cannabis industry, and resources to support each other in the pursuit of justice.
Paul Armentano
Paul Armentano has over two decades experience working professionally in cannabis policy. He is the Deputy Director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and he also serves on the faculty of Oaksterdam University, where he is the Chair of Science.
His writing on cannabis and cannabis policy has appeared in over 1,000 publications, scholarly and/or peer-reviewed journals, as well as in more than two dozen textbooks and anthologies. Mr. Armentano is the co-author of the book Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? (2009, Chelsea Green), which has been licensed and translated internationally. He is also the author of the book The Citizen’s Guide to State-By-State Marijuana Laws (2015), available from Whitman Publishing.
He is the 2013 Freedom Law School Health Freedom Champion of the Year and the 2013 Alfred R. Lindesmith award recipient in the achievement in the field of scholarship. He is the 2019 recipient of the Al Horn Memorial Award to Advance the Cause of Justice, presented by the NORML Legal Committee.
Joe Bondy
Named one of America’s Top 100 Attorneys and one of the Top 100 Criminal Trial Lawyers by the American College of Trial Lawyers, Joseph Bondy is an internationally-recognized expert in criminal litigation. With over 25 years of superlative trial and federal sentencing experience, Bondy has advised thousands of clients in complex criminal defense, cannabis business and advocacy, and crisis management matters. The New York Times has described him as “eloquent and armed with the serene demeanor of a surgeon,” saying that “his oratorical intensity hovers at the evangelical.” High Times dubbed Bondy “one of the nation’s preeminent cannabis attorneys,” and his outstanding talent for defense strategy has been hailed by such outlets as CNN, Politico, and New York Law Journal, as well as legal analysts from around the world. Bondy’s unique approach to criminal defense and public media strategies were particularly praised on a global level while he represented Lev Parnas, a Guiliani associate connected to the Ukraine scandal leading to Donald Trump’s first impeachment. Bondy and Parnas’s interview on The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) was its highest audience-drawing episode of all time, earning an Emmy nomination; and a subsequent feature on Anderson Cooper 360 was one of that program’s most-viewed episodes of the year.
Bondy serves on the Board of Directors for NORML and is a Vice President and Board Member of the Cannabis Cultural Association (CCA). A graduate of Columbia University and Brooklyn Law School, Bondy was a leading member of a team of attorneys on the seminal case Washington v Barr (2019), originally Washington v Sessions (2017), which took action against the Department of Justice with the aim to legalize cannabis federally. He is the founder of In The Know 420, a well-known podcast on cannabis law, policy and industry. Bondy is also a lifetime member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and serves on the faculty of Cardozo Law School’s Intensive Trial Advocacy Program (ITAP).
David Branfman
Mr. Branfman has been practicing law in San Diego County for over thirty years. Mr. Branfman’s practice focuses on intellectual property and entertainment law, including trademarks, domain names, copyrights, trade secrets, licensing, motion pictures & TV, and music.
After a five-year association with the intellectual property law firm of Charmasson & Holz in San Diego, Mr. Branfman joined Gary Martin to form Martin & Branfman and in early 1994 formed Branfman & Associates to focus on intellectual property and entertainment matters. Branfman & Associates became Branfman Law Group, P.C. in 2008.
Mr. Branfman graduated Cum Laude from Alfred University in New York and received his law degree from the University of San Diego in 1978. He is an instructor on intellectual property law at the UCSD (University of California, San Diego) Executive Perspective for Scientists & Engineers program. Mr. Branfman is a member of the NORML Legal Committee and has spoken several times at NORML Legal Committee conferences. He was for many years a member of the Board of Directors of the non-profit San Diego Music Foundation which sponsors the San Diego Music Thing and San Diego Music Awards. He was Chairman of the Board of the San Diego Film Commission from 1998 – January 2000 and was a member of the Board of Directors from 1998 – 2007. He was Legal Chair of the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Television Academy for approximately two decades and is a member of the State Bar of California’s Intellectual Property Section and its Executive Committee which helps to guide and govern the Section. He is a regular speaker at Comic-Con and has lectured or spoken on entertainment, intellectual property and Internet Law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and California Western School of Law.
David is recognized by peers and was selected to Southern California Super Lawyers for intellectual property law 10 out of the last 13 years and for the last 6 years consecutively.
Stephen W. Dillon
Steve Dillon has practiced criminal defense throughout the state of Indiana and around the country in both federal and state courts for over forty-two years. He graduated from Purdue University in 1972 (cum laude) with a major in communications and a minor in psychology. Received his Doctor of Jurisprudence in May 1975 and was admitted to the Indiana Bar in October of 1975. Steve was Deputy Public Defender of Indiana from 1975 until 1977. From 1977 until 1988 he practiced with other private Indianapolis attorneys. In 1988 Steve opened Dillon Law Office in Indianapolis. Steve is a member of the F.I.J.A., Indiana Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, NAACP, and the Indiana Bar Association. In 1994, Steve became an active member of the Criminal Justice Section of the Indiana State Bar Association and served as chair 2013-2014. Steve is currently active as a member of the Indiana Supreme Court Committee to Study Evidence-Based Pre-trial Release. Steve was a founding member and continues to remain active on the NORML Legal Committee. He helped start the Indiana NORML in 1974 and was State Director for over 30 years. He is Chair Emeritus of Indiana NORML Board of Directors. Steve has served as a member of the NORML Board of Directors since 1991 and was Chairman of the Board from 1999-2011, Vice-Chair 2012-2015 and is currently serving again as Chair.
Steve was honored with several professional, political, and activist awards. In 1999, Steve received the “Dr. Barbara Bourland Light of Liberty Award” from the Libertarian Party of Indiana. In 2001, Steve received the “2000 Lights of Liberty Award” from the Advocates of Self-Government for contributing greatly to the spread of libertarian ideas and outstanding contribution to the cause of Liberty. In 2009, Steve received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from The NORML Board of Directors in recognition of a lifetime of activism reforming marijuana laws and advancing the cause of personal freedom. In 2011, Steve received the “Attorney of the Year Award” from the Indiana Cannabis Action Network and Relegalize Indiana. In 2014, Steve received an award for leadership and dedication as Chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Indiana State Bar Association, and in 2014 he received the “NORML Al Horn Memorial Award” for a lifetime of ceaseless work to advance the cause of justice and extraordinary support for NORML from the NORML Legal Committee.
In 2015, Steve received the Indiana NORML “Freedom Award” for furthering the cause of personal freedom in Indiana and the nation. In 2016, Steve received the, “Steve Dasbach Chairman Award for Extraordinary Service” from the Libertarian Party of Indiana for helping to grow the party in extraordinary ways over many years.
Morgan Fox
Morgan Fox is the Political Director at NORML, focusing on congressional lobbying and changing federal cannabis laws. As a professional cannabis policy reform advocate since 2008, Morgan has been directly involved in dozens of successful state ballot initiative campaigns to establish medical and adult use cannabis programs, as well as legislative victories at the local, state, and federal levels. He has been featured in hundreds of print, radio, television, and online publications. Morgan was most recently the Media Relations Director and chief spokesperson for the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) before joining NORML, and spent nearly a decade at the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) prior to that. He lives in Washington, DC, and when he’s not working to end prohibition and repair the damage it has caused, he can usually be found exploring the numerous parks and playgrounds of our nation’s capital with his children.
Nikki Fried
Before being elected chair in February 2023, Nikki served as Florida’s 12th Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services from 2019-2023. She is a lifelong Floridian, attorney and passionate activist. Born and raised in Miami, Chairwoman Fried graduated from the University of Florida, where she received her bachelor’s, master’s in political campaigning and juris doctor degrees. While at the University of Florida, she served as student body president – the first woman to hold the position in nearly two decades.
When Nikki was elected Commissioner in 2018, she became Florida’s only statewide elected Democrat, and the first female ever elected to serve as Commissioner not only in Florida but the entire South.. As Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner, she helped build the state hemp industry, stood up for LGBTQ+ equality, fought for clean water, improved the gun licensing process, and much more.
In 2021, Nikki announced her campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor. After the primary, she founded Won’t Back Down – an organization dedicated to electing pro-choice women to office in Florida. She traveled the state to get out the vote for down-ballot candidates throughout the 2022 election.
Prior to being elected, Fried was the head of the Felony Division at the Alachua County Public Defender’s Office and worked in private practice in South Florida, defending homeowners against foreclosure during the 2007-2008 housing crisis. She also worked at law firms as a government consultant, advocating on behalf of clients before the Florida Legislature. In 2017, she formed her own firm to advocate in Tallahassee for at-risk children, the Broward County School Board, and for the expansion of patient access to medical marijuana.
Throughout her career she has served with numerous organizations including NORML, the Young Lawyers Board of Governors, Chair of the Broward Days Board of Directors, Legal Needs of Children Bar Committee, LeRoy Collins Institute, Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida, University of Florida Governmental Relations Advisory Committee, University of Florida Board of Trustees, Florida’s Children First, and others.
André A. Hakes
André Hakes is the Criminal Defense Chair at the law firm of Tucker Griffin Barnes, P.C., located in Charlottesville, Virginia. She received her JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1996. Ms. Hakes is currently on the Board of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, where she served as the organization’s President in 2022. She has 26 years of experience defending people accused of crimes and offenses in Virginia courts on everything from speeding tickets to first degree murder, and in recent years her practice has focused on sex cases. André has been a guest instructor at the Shenandoah Criminal Justice Training Academy, the University of Virginia School of Law, and Piedmont Virginia Community College. She has also served as a Special Justice, and on the boards of the Virginia A.C.L.U, Equality Virginia, and the Charlottesville Albermarle Bar Association. André is an author of the Trial chapter of Defending Criminal Cases in Virginia, (10th and 11th ed) published by Virginia CLE. She lives with her wife and son in Albermarle County, Virginia.
Gerald “Gerry” Harris Goldstein
Gerry Goldstein is a nationally known and respected defense lawyer at Goldstein, Goldstein & Hilley in San Antonio, Texas. He is a past president of both the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He has served as amicus curiae for NACDL in many high-profile cases, including CNN v. Manuel Noriega and Joe Does v. United States, arguing lawyers should not be required to disclose the identity of cash-paying clients on IRS forms.
His forceful Congressional testimony during the 1996 House Waco hearings is credited with helping to turn the tide against further suppression of citizens’ rights in America. More recently, he represented Dr. Al-Badr Al Hazmi, a fifth-year radiology resident in San Antonio who was arrested on Sept. 12, 2001. Subsequently, Goldstein testified before Congress on his client’s request to speak with counsel.
Gerry Goldstein is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Texas Lawyer’s Legal Legends. He also has been profiled in numerous publications, served as an adjunct professor of law at University of Texas School of Law in Austin and at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio and is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
He also is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. In his role as an adjunct professor, Gerry teaches a course titled Advanced Criminal Law (Defense of a Complex Federal Prosecution). Other lectures and presentations include U.S. Supreme Court updates, Crawford & the Current State of the Hearsay Rule, Crossing the Double Crosser and Federal Appeals.
His published works include: Grand Jury Practice; Pretrial Release; Indictment [Joinder/Severance/Transfer]; Pretrial Motions; Suppression of Evidence; Jury Selection; Trial [Evidence]; Examination of Witnesses; Jury Instructions; Closing Arguments; Creative Trial Techniques; Criminal Issues – Civil Cases; Jury Arguments [Closings to Remember]; Search and Seizure; Life and Hearsay – Post Crawford Era; Federal Appeals; and Supreme Court Review.
Gerry earned his juris doctor at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, Texas, in 1968. He also graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1965, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
Gerry received a certification in Criminal Law in 1975 from the State Bar of Texas. He holds the following bar admissions: Texas (1968), Colorado (1989), U.S. District Court Western District of Texas (1970), U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit (1982), U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit (1970), U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit (1983), U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit (1979), U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit (1983), U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit (1981) and the U.S. Supreme Court (1975).
Gerry Goldstein received NORML’s Al Horn Memorial award in 1999, which commemorated a lifetime of advocacy and support for responsible marijuana law reform. He has also received the following honors and awards: Best Lawyers in America, 1987 — Present; Texas Monthly – Texas Super Lawyers; Top 100 Texas Super Lawyers; Top 50 Central and West Texas Region Super Lawyers, Criminal Defense: White Collar, 2003 — 2007; Scene in SA Monthly – San Antonio’s Best Attorneys, San Antonio Law, Top Ten Lawyers, 2004 — present; Texas Lawyer Legal Legends, 100 Best Lawyers over Last 100 years (100 Year Anniversary of State Bar of Texas), 2000; Fellow, State Bar Foundation, 1976 — Present; Recipient, Robert C. Heeney Memorial Award [Outstanding Criminal Defense Attorney in the United States] from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 1991; Recipient, Outstanding Criminal Defense Lawyer in Texas from the State Bar of Texas, 1991; Justice Albert Tate, Jr. Award [Outstanding Contribution to Criminal Advocacy] from the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 1993; Recipient, John Henry Faulk Civil Libertarian of the Year Award from the American Civil Liberties Union; Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Hall of Fame, 2002; Marquis Who’s Who, Who’s Who in American Law, 14th Edition, 2006 — 2008; First Annual Michael J. Kennedy Social Justice Award, George Washington University, (May, 2016); William S. Sessions American Inns of Court First Annual Goldstein Award of Excellence (2015); San Antonio Bar Association, Joe Frazier Brown, Jr., Award of Excellence for Outstanding Leadership and Service to the Legal Community & Citizens of Texas, 2016.
He is a member of the following professional associations: National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Past President (1994 — 1995); Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Past President; International Academy of Trial Lawyers; American College of Trial Lawyers; American Board of Criminal Lawyers; American Board of Trial Advocates, President ; Dean’s Round Table, University of Texas School of Law; Texas Civil Liberties Union; San Antonio Bar Association; American Bar Association; and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.
John Wesley Hall
John Wesley Hall, Little Rock criminal defense attorney, is a Past President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Hall received the organization’s prestigious Robert C. Heeney Award in 2002 for service to the criminal defense bar. He was chair of the NACDL Ethics Advisory Committee from 1990-2005, and on the International Criminal Court’s Disciplinary Appeals Tribunal. He has tried 250+ jury trials and handled 250+ appeals, including three in the U.S. Supreme Court. He is the author of Search and Seizure (3d ed., 4th ed. forthcoming), Professional Responsibility in Criminal Defense Practice (3d ed.), Trial Handbook for Arkansas Lawyers (4th ed.), and numerous articles. He has done CLEs in 38 states, 3 provinces, and The Hague.
Carey Haughwout
Carey Haughwout is the Public Defender for Palm Beach County since 2001. She has practiced criminal defense since 1983. Carey is the immediate past President of the Florida Association of Public Defenders. As part of her duties, she works with the legislature on criminal justice policy. She is a board certified criminal trial lawyer and a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Carey’s efforts have been recognized with the ACLU Harriet S. Glasner Freedom Award, The Lord’s Place Ending Homelessness Award, the Voter’s Coalition of Palm Beach County, the March of Dimes Women of Distinction Award, the Palm Beach County Bar Association’s Professionalism Award and the Judge Barry M. Cohen “Champion of Justice” Award. She is a past president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, served on the Board of Legal Specialization and Education, the Florida Bar Criminal Rules Committee and on a variety of local committees dedicated to the improvement of the system of justice. She established and chairs the Reentry Task Force for the Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission which has been credited with establishing services for ex-offenders to reduce recidivism. Besides the administrative duties of managing a 200-person law office, Carey maintains an active trial practice of serious cases and death penalty cases.
David Kubiliun
David Kubiliun is a partner and chair of the White Collar and Criminal Defense practice group at Greenspoon Marder LLP. Drawing on more than two decades of legal experience, he focuses his practice on defending clients in high-stakes criminal litigation for both white collar and traditional criminal matters including vacating criminal convictions, post- conviction remedies, trial court motion practice, developing legal strategy for criminal court cases, and filing appeals. Mr. Kubiliun has defended and resolved hundreds of high-profile matters in Florida and throughout the U.S. in state and federal courts representing award winning celebrities, athletes, entertainers, Fortune 500 companies, multi-national corporations, CEOs and senior executives, private individuals, public officials, and international high net worth individuals.
A skilled lawyer in the courtroom, the boardroom, and in between, Mr. Kubiliun represents clients facing civil and criminal allegations of fraud and other misconduct in a multitude of cases including, murder, securities, tax evasion, public corruption, healthcare, mail/wire fraud, internet sex crimes, bankruptcy, corporate, narcotics conspiracies, racketeering, bribery and corruption, and money laundering. Among his many high-profile matters, Mr. Kubiliun’s extensive experience includes one of the largest cases prosecuted in the United States under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, resulting in dismissal of criminal charges for his client. Mr. Kubiliun successfully defended three Muslim medical students accused of planning a terrorist attack in Miami. Additionally, he represented a Mexican migrant worker who was wrongfully shot by a Broward Sheriff’s Deputy, resulting in one of the largest settlements against the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Kubiliun also defended the case of a young woman who gave birth on Bal Harbour Beach and was accused of abandoning the newborn. Proving that his client suffered from a medical condition, Mr. Kubiliun obtained a dismissal of all criminal charges.
Prior to joining Greenspoon Marder, Mr. Kubiliun had his own practice for several years, handling complex civil litigation, white collar criminal, and appellate work. Before entering private practice, he also served as an assistant public defender/internal investigator for the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office. During his 13 years with the Public Defender’s Office, he represented hundreds of defendants in felony and capital jury trials, as well as briefed and argued numerous appeals. Through Mr. Kubiliun’s zealous advocacy, he has helped dozens of clients navigate their way through the judicial court system.
Mr. Kubiliun is a sought-after speaker and has appeared on numerous international, national, and local media outlets for his knowledge in white collar and criminal defense, including CNN, FOX News, Univision, and Telemundo as a media commentator. He has appeared as a legal commentator in People magazine, InTouch Weekly and Newsweek.
Mr. Kubilun is equally committed to his clients and taking an active role in shaping his community. For several years, he has served in various leadership positions such as Gala Chair and Executive Board Member of the “Debbie’s Dream Foundation,” an organization that funds research and raises awareness for stomach cancer. Mr. Kubiliun also serves on the Leadership Council for I Care I Cure Childhood Cancer Foundation, an organization which raises money to fight childhood cancer by funding pediatric cancer research. Furthermore, in 2015, United States Congressional Representative Frederica Wilson recognized Mr. Kubiliun for his Outstanding and Invaluable Service to the Community.
Chris Leibig
Chris started his career in 1996 as a public defender in Alexandria. He started his own criminal defense firm in 2002 with Andrea L. Moseley, which merged with the nationally-known Law Office of John Kenneth Zwerling in 2005. In 2012, Chris formed the Law Office of Christopher Leibig, which represents individuals accused or being investigated for serious crimes in state and federal court throughout Virginia. Chris is a member of the Norml Legal Committee and has attended the legal seminar in Key West for the last 17 years. He regularly represents people for murder and all varieties of serious crimes, including those facing the daunting specter of sexual abuse allegations.
Christopher Mandracchia
Christopher D. Mandracchia, Esq. is a successful trial attorney and cannabis advocate with extensive experience working in the criminal justice system as both a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. He strives to help those who are subject to unlawful persecution/prosecution and discrimination under state and federal laws. Mr. Mandracchia formed CDM LAW to merge his passion for cannabis law reform with his mission to seek justice. He is a zealous advocate for individuals and businesses who are in need of legal representation with a focus on cannabis related matters. His caseload includes interesting legal issues pertaining to marijuana, medical marijuana, hemp, and psychedelics. He chairs the Montgomery Bar Association Medical Marijuana & Hemp Law Committee, is a Lifetime member of the NORML Legal Committee, the PBA Medical Marijuana & Hemp Law Committee, and Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Mr. Mandracchia is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and is admitted in the United States District Courts of the Eastern and Middle District.
Mr. Mandracchia has expanded his skills and knowledge through his time and training in the Emerald Triangle Region of Northern California and by becoming a Certified Ganjier. He is also the co-founder of Certified Cannabis Consultants, a group of cannabis professionals providing non-legal consulting and cannabis related services.
Courtney N. Moran, LL.M.
Founding Principal of EARTH Law, LLC and Chief Legislative Strategist for Agricultural Hemp Solutions, LLC, expertly champions forward-thinking policy for hemp agribusiness success. She worked closely with the offices of Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in drafting and negotiating the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 the language included in the 2018 Farm Bill federally legalizing hemp.
Courtney co-authored and is leading efforts on the federal Industrial Hemp Act of 2023 (S. 980, H.R. 3755), with IND Hemp and the National Hemp Association, to reduce regulatory barriers for grain and fiber farmers, support industrial hemp supply chain growth, and expand hemp grain and fiber market opportunities.
She earned her Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During law school, Courtney interned for Keith Stroup at NORML. She is admitted to practice in Oregon, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Courtney began her career practicing medical marijuana patient criminal defense. Appealing a county court’s decision on behalf of her medical patient client, the State of Oregon conceded in State v. Ellis, 260 OR App 174 (2013), that hashish is medical marijuana.
In January 2014, Courtney graduated magna cum laude from Lewis and Clark Law School with a Master of Laws in Environmental and Natural Resources Law, with an emphasis in Industrial Hemp Law.
In the Spring of 2015 Courtney’s article, Industrial Hemp: Canada Exports, United States Imports was published in the Fordham Environmental Law Review.
From 2015 to June 2023, Courtney lobbied for the Oregon Industrial Hemp Farmers Association (OIHFA)/ Oregon Hemp Association (ORHA) to protect Oregon hemp agricultural interests, passing five pro-hemp pieces of legislation and participating in every hemp-related rulemaking within the state. In 2021, OIHFA led the passage of HB 2284 establishing the Oregon Hemp Commodity Commission, and HB 3000 an omnibus cannabis bill that creates the framework for regulating adult-use cannabinoids. Throughout 2022, Courtney served as a Governor Appointee on the HB3000/SB1564 Taskforce on Cannabis-Derived Intoxicants and Illegal Cannabis Production representing hemp farmer interests in Oregon.
She strategically guided the initial implementation of hemp programs in South Carolina, Wisconsin, Alaska, and Missouri. She continues to influence hemp policy development in numerous states throughout the U.S. and federally. In 2021, she led the passage of HB 396 in Montana, authorizing hemp food ingredients as commercial animal feed, opening markets for hemp grain, fiber, and whole plant products.
Courtney successfully litigated the landmark cases KaB, LLC v USPIS (2018) and RNF, LLC v USPIS, MLB 18-113 (2018) establishing the precedent for the shipment of hemp, specifically hemp-derived CBD and viable hemp seeds, through the US Postal Service.
In Fall 2021, Courtney joined the Oaksterdam University Faculty teaching Business of Cannabis: Hemp and CBD. In Spring 2022, she joined the Lewis and Clark Law School Faculty as an adjunct law professor teaching the first Hemp Law & Policy course in the U.S.
Internationally, on October 26, 2016, Courtney testified at El Seminario Internacional Perspectivas Legislativas Para La Regulaciόn de la Cannabis No Psicoactiva Para Su Uso Medicinal, Terapéutico e Industrial before the Senado de la República in Mexico City, Mexico. She also participated in the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem in April 2016 on behalf of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley.
In January 2023, Courtney joined the National Hemp Association Board of Directors as Legislative Counsel. She also serves on the NORML Board of Directors Emeritus Board, the Oregon State Bar Cannabis and Psychedelics Law Section Executive Committee, the National Hemp Association Standing Committee of Hemp Organizations, and the International Cannabis Bar Association Advisory Board.
Courtney was voted by the HIA membership as the 2018 Hemp Industries Association Advocate of the Year. She was also awarded as Hemp History Week’s Leading Grassroots Advocate. Courtney was celebrated by Capital Press newspaper as the Western Innovator: Leading the ‘green rush’. She is a sought-after attorney, lobbyist, guest lecturer, and speaker.
During his keynote presentation at the 2019 Western U.S. Hemp Growers Conference & Expo in Portland, Oregon, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden acknowledged “In a sentence, we would not have hemp legalization without Courtney.”
Gregory Morse
Gregory J. Morse is a partner at the law firm of King | Morse, PLLC in Palm Beach County, FL where he has practiced criminal defense in state and federal court for more than twenty years. Greg began his career at the West Palm Beach Public Defender’s Office in 2000 and he is currently on the CJA panel for the United States Southern District of Florida. He is a member of the NORML Legal Committee, The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), and The American Inns of Court (CSB).
Greg has had cases featured on: Vengeance: Millionaire Murderers; 48 hours, Inside Edition, American Monster, and In Ice Cold Blood. He is considered a Top 100 trial lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers and a 10 Best Attorney in FL by the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys. He has been published in the New York Law School Law Review: Techno-Jury: Techniques in Verbal and Visual Persuasion. He graduated from New York Law School, cum laude; SUNY Buffalo; and University of North London, England. Greg has presented on topics covering all aspects of trial from Jury selection to sentencing. Greg is also an author. His debut novel, The Untested was released in 2022.
William H. Murphy, Jr.
William H. “Billy” Murphy, Jr. has practiced law for 35 years, including three years as a judge on the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, the highest level Maryland trial court. Mr. Murphy has tried numerous high-profile criminal and civil cases, including some of the most celebrated cases in Maryland history and in the country. In 2004, Mr. Murphy received the Charles Hamilton Houston Award for Lifetime Achievement in Litigation from the University of Baltimore School of Law in “recognition of his career of excellence, innovation and achievement in courtroom advocacy.”
Michelle Peace, Ph.D.
Dr. Peace received her B.A. in Chemistry from Wittenberg University, a Master of Forensic Science from George Washington University, and her Ph.D. from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).
Dr. Peace is a forensic toxicologist and a Full Professor in the FEPAC-accredited Department of Forensic Science at VCU and is one of the founding faculty for the Department. She served as Associate Chair and Chair for nearly a decade. Dr. Peace has also served as a manager in a private forensic drug testing laboratory and has worked as a scientist for Procter & Gamble, where she holds 3 patents.
Dr. Peace has been funded by the National Institute of Justice since 2014 to study the efficacy of electronic cigarettes, particularly as they pertain to substance use and abuse. Her research has highlighted emerging issues of electronic cigarettes as a tool for vaping drugs other than nicotine and has characterized the merging of the cannabis and e-cigarette industries. Her current project is a clinical study to assess the impact of vaping on roadside impairment evaluations for suspected DUI and drug testing.
Dr. Peace is a Past President of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and is a member of The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. She is a member of the National Safety Council’s Alcohol, Drugs, and Impaired Driving Division. She has also served on the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Toxicology (SWGTOX) to help develop standards in the practice of forensic toxicology. She was nationally recognized for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring by the Society of Forensic Toxicologists.
Dr. Peace speaks regularly to train law enforcement and probation/parole officers, addiction specialists, attorneys, health system personnel, and primary and secondary education administrators on relevant issues regarding the mechanism of vaping and e-cigarettes as a tool to deliver drugs other than nicotine, as well as the effects of CBD and THC. She has provided testimony and opinions to develop scientifically relevant and robust policy and legislation at the state and federal levels, and she consults with companies and school systems as they re-develop smoking policies to include vaping. Dr. Peace has testified to the Food and Drug Administration and the Virginia General Assembly regarding issues of quality assurance, public health, and public safety with the emerging cannabis industry. She has been featured in the New York Times, Consumer Reports, and AARP. The American Chemical Society and Discover Magazine recognized her and her team in 2018 and 2019 as some of the most influential research in the nation.
Robert Scremin
Robert Scremin has been practicing law for 24 years and has litigated over 600 major felony cases including life without parole murder, felony murder, child molest, and domestic battery. He is frequently contacted by WANE TV as a legal analyst and has served as an adjunct college professor for a number of legal courses including evidence, police science, juvenile justice, community corrections, constitutional law and serial killers.
Few lawyers have ever tried a murder case, much less obtained multiple ‘not guilty’ verdicts. Mr. Scremin has tried seven murder cases in just the last two years, in addition to aggravated battery, domestic violence, child molest, drug dealing and gun possession cases.
Mr. Scremin is a former deputy prosecutor with the Indianapolis Drugs, Guns & Gangs Unit and a former deputy prosecutor with the Allen County Domestic Violence Unit. In 2017, Mr. Scremin was hired as the FCADV Injunction for Protection Attorney for the Florida Keys and spent over a year working in Key West before relocating to Fort Wayne. He is also a graduate of the coveted National Criminal Defense College at Mercer Law School and a member of the NORML Legal Committee. Mr. Scremin began his legal career working for criminal defense lawyer Michael Stepanian in San Francisco, and later practiced in Chicago before relocating to Indiana. He is also a former S.W.A.T./Narcotics detective and has worked in the criminal justice field for over 35 years.
Keith Stroup
Keith Stroup is a Washington, DC public-interest attorney who founded NORML in 1970. Stroup obtained his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Illinois in 1965, and in 1968 he graduated from Georgetown Law School in Washington, DC. Following two years as staff counsel for the National Commission on Product Safety, Mr. Stroup founded NORML and ran the organization through 1979, during which 11 states decriminalized minor marijuana offenses.
Stroup has also practiced criminal law, lobbied on Capitol Hill for family farmers and artists, and for several years served as executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). In 1994 Stroup resumed his work with NORML, rejoining the board of directors and serving again as Executive Director through 2004. He is currently serving as Legal Counsel with NORML.
In 1992 Stroup was the recipient of the Richard J. Dennis Drugpeace Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Drug Policy Reform presented by the Drug Policy Foundation, Washington, DC. In 2010 he received the Al Horn Award for Advancing the Cause of Justice from the NORML Legal Committee. And in 2012 Stroup received the High Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2013 Stroup published the history of NORML entitled It’s NORML To Smoke Pot: the 40 Year Fight for Marijuana Smokers’ Rights.
Dan Viets
Dan Viets is an attorney in private practice in Columbia, MO, concentrating on the defense of marijuana cases. He has served for many years as the Missouri State Coordinator for NORML. He is a former president of the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, former chair of the board of the Mid-Missouri ACLU, former president of the University of Missouri student body and former chair of the City of Columbia Human Rights Commission.
Mr. Viets was the recipient of the 1993 Martin Luther King Association’s “Keeping the Dream Alive” award and the 1995 Mid-Missouri “Civil Libertarian of the Year.” Dan was named High Times Freedom Fighter of the Month in March, 2005 for his work helping to pass both a marijuana decriminalization initiative and a medical marijuana initiative in the November, 2004 election in Columbia. He received the 2005 Atticus Finch Outstanding Criminal Defense Lawyer award from the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. In January, 2006 he received the Trailblazer award from the Mid-Missouri NAACP. He received the “Audiencey Award” from Conan O’Brien on the Tonight Show for looking most like the college professor who could always get you weed.
Dan hosts a weekly radio program, called “Sex, Drugs and Civil Liberties”, on a community station affiliated with National Public Radio. He chaired the Board of New Approach Missouri which legalized medical marijuana in 2018 and adult-use and cultivation in 2022.
Luke Zimmerman
Luke Zimmerman Esq. LL.Mx2 is the president of The Law Office of Luke S. Zimmerman APC. The focus of his legal practice is assisting entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry with protecting their intellectual property rights. He has lectured extensively, both domestically and internationally, about emerging issues relating to the protection of cannabis intellectual property.
Luke obtained his undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Oregon at Eugene and then graduated from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, in San Diego California. After law school, Luke attended classes at Oaksterdam University in Oakland. Luke’s interest in international trade and investment law led him to the Netherlands where he obtained a Master of Laws from the University of Amsterdam. Luke considers himself to be a lifelong student, which is why in 2020 he obtained a second Master of Laws from the Turin School of Development, as a WIPO Academy Member, in intellectual property. The focus of his final project was exploring harmonization issues with trademark classes as related to cannabis, marijuana, and hemp in the Nice Classification System.
In 2019 Luke was identified Luke as a specialist in his field by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and invited to participate in a working group to establish standards for the California Appellations Program for cannabis. Luke currently co-chairs the International Cannabis Bar Associations Appellations Committee.
Luke believes education is essential to shifting the paradigm around cannabis which is why he worked with Oaksterdam University to found its intellectual property section. Six years later he teaches there today he estimates he has taught at least 500 students about intellectual property rights.
A core mission of the Law Office of Luke S. Zimmerman is drug policy reform, which is why Luke volunteered on the Clemency Project 2014, where he successfully assisted a client in receiving a commutation of a life sentence from President Obama.
Luke currently splits his time assisting clients in California, and around the world, with trademark and other intellectual property matters.
2023 Presenting Sponsors
2023 Welcome Reception Sponsor
