Sarah A.K. Blitz

Sarah A.K. Blitz is the co-founder and leader of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP’s cannabis industry team. She’s been at the firm since 2011. Her practice spans the legal cannabis industry value chain as she represents cannabis, hemp and ancillary businesses in litigation and before regulatory agencies. She also provides counsel on regulatory compliance, business strategy and risk management.

“My interest in cannabis law stemmed from my work in the food and beverage regulatory space,” she said. “I pride myself on being able to spot trends, so when cannabis was legalized for adult use..., I could see this would be a new and exciting area of law.”

A commercial litigator by training, Blitz also advises consumer products manufacturers and distributors on products liability and regulatory compliance. And she provides due diligence counseling on litigation and product liability in connection with investments, mergers, and acquisitions in an array of industries, including cannabis, manufacturing, and consumer packaged goods.

“I have a broad and diverse group of clients in the cannabis industry,” Blitz said. “It’s a diverse community that has been relegated to the sidelines,” she added, referring to how African Americans were disproportionately targeted for committing cannabis offenses in the days before legalization.

“Now we are trying to create an industry that can undo institutional wrongs, such as with L.A.’s social equity program.” That initiative is designed to mitigate harms caused by the War on Drugs by prioritizing dispensary, delivery and cultivation licenses for those with prior cannabis-related arrests or convictions in California who also meet low-income or residence criteria. “As a young female attorney, working in such an environment has been a highlight of my career,” Blitz said.

Bringing her beverage industry expertise to a fast-growing cannabis market segment, Blitz serves as external general counsel on cannabis regulatory compliance for Jones Soda Co., a Seattle-based beverage company, as it launches its cannabis-infused beverage and edibles business from a new division operating under the Mary Jones brand.

Blitz has served as deal counsel on a variety of licensing agreements related to the launch of Jones Sodas in the California legal-cannabis market with flavors such as root beer and green apple. She provides regulatory review for product development, labeling, and marketing, and furnishes strategic advice regarding the brand’s expansion into the broader legal cannabis market nationally.

“We launched in California just last week,” she said in early July. “These drinks are an easier access point for those who don’t want to smoke.”

The work is very satisfying. “It’s interesting, challenging and difficult law.”

– John Roemer