The Department of Justice recently took the extraordinary step of releasing a previously confidential memo from its Office of Legal Counsel concluding that DEA’s long-standing policy on marijuana research violates federal law and U.S. treaty obligations. Why did DOJ do this? What does the memo mean for the future of marijuana research? In this podcast, Matt Zorn and Shane Pennington, the lawyers who litigated this case, explain how they got DOJ to release the memo and what it all means.
Shane Pennington is an appellate associate at Yetter Coleman LLP in Houston. His practice focuses on federal appeals and regulatory litigation for clients in a diverse array of industries. Drawing on his experience as a former law clerk to judges on both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Shane also assists clients who are evaluating potential or pending cases involving complex regulatory issues.
Matt Zorn is an appellate associate at Yetter Coleman LLP in Houston. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, representing clients in IP, contract, and regulatory litigation in federal and state court.
Tom Firestone is located in Baker McKenzie's Washington D.C. office and Co-chair of the firm's North American Government Enforcement practice.