In the Media

Welcome to the JDW Counsel media room, a place for me to showcase all my media coverage and happenings. In addition to being a practicing Lawyer, I also provide legal commentary, speak at public engagements and events, and contribute advice to critical judicial issues, some of which is accessible in the articles and features below.

Will Marijuana become legal?

Is federalization really

what we want?

The Federalization of Marijuana will change the landscape of the localized marijuana industry and will be the next evolution in the realm of legal marijuana. Federal legalization will certainly bring more basic business tools to marijuana entrepreneurs such as banking, access to federal loans and grants, interstate commerce, etc. But, what other impacts will Federal legalization bring? How will your current localized industry adapt? Or, is the question, can it adapt?

Keeping Cannabis Compliant

The legalization of marijuana in the United States has been a long and arduous process, but thanks to medical research and the benefits it can have for certain individuals, it has recently become more widely accepted in some states. One of those is Alaska, where Jana Weltzin has been recognized for her work with the title of Leading Marijuana Compliance and Regulatory Attorney of the Year, Alaska

An Interview with

Alaska Cannabis Lawyer Jana Weltzin

Not much goes on in the cannabis industry in Alaska that cannabis attorney Jana Weltzin doesn’t know about. An Alaskan native, Weltzin embodies the pioneering spirit that’s bred from growing up in a harsh environment.

Alaska Cannabis Industry Engages in Government Lobbying

Alaska marijuana businesses have joined other state industries such as oil and fishing in working to influence how their sector is regulated. The lobbying efforts are aimed at shaping everything from rules restricting signage to how the industry is taxed. Anchorage marijuana attorney Jana Weltzin encourages her clients to engage with politicians and make donations.

Cultivators still seeking changes to cannabis excise tax

Questions continue to bubble up about potential changes to state cannabis taxes to keep the current structure from hampering business in the future.
Alaska voters legalized recreational marijuana use in 2014, but it took about 18 months for the first cultivators to be licensed and open their doors. When they did, they began paying into the cultivation tax that Alaska assesses on commercially grown marijuana.

The Rolling Stone Guide to Legal Pot: Alaska

Alaska was the third state to legalize, but a slow legal process – and the state’s rugged terrain – mean the industry is only now coming into its own.

Marijuana Venture Magazine
Top 40 under 40

When Alaska legalized recreational cannabis in 2014, Jana Weltzin felt the call to return home.

Boulder on the inside:

a pot lawyer grows up fast

It’s a tricky time for commercial cannabis in Alaska. Stores around the state are beginning to open, but without enough product available to keep shelves stocked for more than a few hours. The state’s largest market, Anchorage, is seeing delays for businesses because of complicated zoning regulations. And there are concerns that a Justice Department under Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) may reverse tolerant federal guidelines that have let state’s develop marijuana industries. At the center of all this is an emerging legal niche: pot lawyers.

Changes set in motion for Alaska’s cannabis industry

The July 2017 Alaska Marijuana Control Board meeting held in Fairbanks was an extended three-day long meeting. Industry participants came from across the state to attend.

Alaska: One step forward, two steps back

Alaska’s adult use marijuana program is moving along slowly, carefully and with the expected amount of drama and setbacks. Over the four years I’ve been involved in the commercial marijuana industry, one theme has remained constant in every state: the cannabis movement always takes one step forward and two steps back.

Alaska grants licenses, but not without controversy

The Last Frontier’s cannabis industry is chugging right along. On June 10, the Alaska Marijuana Control Board made history by approving the state’s first commercial marijuana business licenses

Cannabis industry getting ‘hit with the RICO’

An alarming trend of private citizens filing RICO claims targeting business owners, state public servants, accountants and landlords has emerged within the cannabis industry.

Taxation system in Alaska cannabis targets cultivators; breeds confusion and scofflaws

Alaska’s legal cannabis industry made news recently when it was revealed that the state is owed more than $2 million by cultivators in unpaid taxes. The announcement brought new scrutiny to Alaska’s marijuana tax structure, which is unlike that of any other state where commercial cannabis markets have been legalized.

Arizona Marijuana Legalization Ballot: Election 2020

Proposition 207, otherwise known as the “Smart and Safe Arizona Act,” is on the Arizona ballot for the November 2020 General Election (the full text of which can be read here, along with the rest of the ballot). If passed, it would legalize recreational marijuana retail, production, and cultivation.

Cannabis Law