Rachel Gillette – Holland & Hart

Partner

A leading cannabis and psychedelics focused lawyer, Rachel helps clients nationwide proactively plan and implement strategies to capitalize on strategic business opportunities.

At the vanguard of the retail marijuana industry, Rachel leverages more than a decade of experience guiding clients to establish, expand, and protect profitable businesses in a rapidly-evolving legal, regulatory, and financial environment.

Recently, both Colorado (Natural Medicine Act of 2022/Prop 122) and Oregon (Oregon Measure 109) passed “legalize and regulate” laws to establish a regulated market for natural medicines including psilocybin, psilocyn, mushrooms, DMT, mescaline, and other plant-derived substances. Our team is poised to help companies proactively set up a tax-optimal business structure and pursue financing, licensing, and comply with evolving federal, state, and local regulations.

Leveraging experience from the first state cannabis legalization efforts, our team guides clients not just with ensuring operational compliance, but in building creative solutions and productive relationships with state, local, and federal authorities. Our tailored approach helps cannabis and natural medicine businesses, stakeholders, and ancillary service providers analyze risks and chart a strategic course in this dynamic industry.

From years of interacting with regulators and taxing authorities Rachel knows how state and local provisions will be applied in practice and what clients can anticipate at every step of the licensing process and beyond. She vigorously protects clients’ interests in tax audits and deficiency assessments at the state and local level, as well as IRC §280E adjustments.

Clients value Rachel’s ability to distill complex, often overwhelming information, into a prioritized plan of action. As a strategic advisor, she helps clients prepare and get positioned to seize opportunities, like starting operations in newly legalized states, scale businesses into multiple jurisdictions, or launch new brands and products.

Rachel’s clients range from individual entrepreneurs and investors, to start-ups to publicly traded companies with operations in one or multiple states in cannabis and cannabis-adjacent businesses. Domestic and international entities exploring cannabis business opportunities turn to Rachel for pragmatic, industry-savvy counsel as they evaluate potential options. Rachel also serves as an expert witness on legal and regulatory issues involving hemp, marijuana, CBD, and other cannabinoids.

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Address & Contacts

Address

555 17th Street, Suite 3200, Denver, CO 80202

GPS

39.74552335, -104.98951925003

Telephone