Case Results:
Attorney Jessica McElfresh delivers the legal guidance and advocacy it takes to thrive in California’s cannabis industry. As a successful defense attorney, Jessica was at the forefront of marijuana legalization in California, and uses that passion and skill to represent people at all stages of the state’s legitimate marijuana market. From retail cannabis dispensaries, large cultivators, testing facilities, delivery services, investors, and marijuana entrepreneurs, Jessica provides individuals and cannabis businesses with what they need to flourish. This includes full service legal assistance with formation, zoning, regulatory compliance, licensing, land use, employment, and everything in between.
Even as a young lawyer, Jessica never saw the cannabis industry as something that needed to be normalized. Instead, her work focused on highlighting how normal it already was.
She saw the government waste, how the current laws violated people’s rights, and wanted to be part of building something new.
Jessica was a breath of fresh air in the lawyers we interviewed. She was pleasant, all business, with a no nonsense approach to strategies we could take."
- McElfresh Law, Inc. client
We meet every challenge with experience, knowledge and an eye on achieving the goal.
Whether you need a license or help with contracts, zoning, or compliance, at McElfresh Law, you’ll have all the resources and advantages of a full-service cannabis law firm.
Straightforward & Clear Legal Advice
A Highly-Detailed & Attentive Approach
Aggressive Protection of Your Investment
Sound Business Development Plans
Attorney McElfresh has also authored and advised on ordinances and ballot measures to regulate cannabis businesses at the local level, including Measure U in La Mesa and Measure V in Lemon Grove. She is an advisory board member for A New PATH, an organization dedicated to promoting therapeutic rather than punitive drug policies, as well as Measure H in Encinitas. As part of this work, Jessica has won writs of mandate at the local and appellate level to compel local governments and registrars of voters to accept petitions and count voter signatures.
Outside of her law practice, Jessica is an advocate for cannabis and broader drug policy reform. Jessica has also served as a consultant for the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California about how Proposition 64 affects criminal justice reform and individual rights. She is a proud member of the International Cannabis Bar Association’s Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee.
She regularly lectures on the ethical considerations in a cannabis law practice, and speaks at conferences and law schools including the National Cannabis Industry Association Business Summit & Expo, International Cannabis Bar Association, California NORML, San Diego County Bar Association, and University of San Diego School of Law.
