Cannabis businesses need lawyers, but how can you build a marijuana practice?

It’s a federal offense to grow, sell or use marijuana, but a growing number of states have laws permitting its use under specific circumstances. In Alaska, Oregon, Colorado and Washington, the product is available for recreational use. In Colorado and Washington, it may be sold commercially, and is taxed and regulated by the state. The University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law has started to offer classes in marijuana law. There’s a need for lawyers to represent cannabis businesses. But how can you advise these clients and develop this as a specialty while remaining on the right side of legal ethics?

In this month’s Asked and Answered, Seattle lawyer Ryan Espegard chats with the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward about how he advises the marijuana industry–being mindful of state and federal regulation–and what sorts of business development activities have worked for him.