Garrett O. Graff
Gould and Ratner LLP
Garrett Graff, Esq., counsels clients throughout their corporate life cycle on corporate formation and structuring; ongoing operational agreements, including leases, supply/distribution agreements, licensing agreements, and services agreements; as well as debt/equity financing and mergers and acquisitions. Garrett’s practice often involves serving as outside general counsel and is inclusive of both corporate/M&A and regulatory compliance matters, along with issues relating to real estate, intellectual property protection, tax, litigation, policy, and international issues. Garrett specializes in representing clients in a variety of regulated sectors, including cannabis (inclusive of both marijuana and hemp), food/beverage, and alcohol. Specific to the cannabis industry, Garrett represents clients on successfully obtaining licenses in numerous states in both competitive and non-competitive licensure processes. He also assists clients in general corporate matters, protecting intellectual property, establishing partnerships and joint ventures, and expanding clients’ footprints across multiple states and/or countries, along with regulatory compliance matters. Garrett represents hemp companies across the country and world on matters including import/export, cultivation, processing and manufacturing, distribution, and navigating legislative and regulatory frameworks. He frequently works with federal, state, and local authorities on policy and enforcement matters. Notably, Garrett represented hemp industry stakeholders against the DEA in confirming the Farm Bill’s hemp provisions pre-empt DEA authority and the CSA. He also regularly works with stakeholders in drafting model legislative and regulatory policy. Relatedly, from a regulatory perspective, Garrett counsels clients in navigating the many layers of international, federal, state, and local laws and regulations, ranging from marijuana- or hemp-specific laws and regulations to issues relating to conventional FDA and FTC compliance, Proposition 65 compliance, and import/export issues, along with other regulatory considerations. Garrett has testified in judicial proceedings related to regulatory matters and frequently speaks in many forums - conferences, symposiums, and other events - regarding various issues, including cannabis and natural products.
02/23
