California · New York · Massachusetts · Federal DEA matters nationwide

Cannabis enforcement defense and federal DEA counsel

Facing an investigation, threatened license loss, or questions about DEA registration? Ryan Kocot brings criminal trial experience to enforcement defense and former in-house legal and compliance leadership to the operational issues cannabis businesses face. State enforcement in California, New York, and Massachusetts. Federal DEA matters nationwide.
Enforcement Defense DEA Registration & Compliance Call (916) 572-6445 Text (916) 572-6445
October 30 federal update:New guidance addresses timely applicants, business-partner verification, existing inventory and laboratory testing. Learn what it means for your business.
Contracts, corporate, or compliance work? See Cannabis Business Counsel
Ryan Kocot, cannabis attorney
Ryan Kocot
Attorney · Licensed in CA, NY & MA
Licensed CA · NY · MA Federal DEA matters nationwide Criminal trial experience Former in-house cannabis counsel
Enforcement defense
Enforcement defense backed by criminal trial experience
When an agency threatens your license or business, the evidence matters. Ryan’s criminal trial background informs how he evaluates allegations, prepares witnesses, challenges the agency’s case, and negotiates with a clear understanding of what a contested hearing would require.
Enforcement defense by state →
Federal DEA counsel
DEA registration informed by operational experience
Federal registration raises questions about applications, suppliers, buyers, records and inspections. Ryan’s former in-house legal and compliance role brings an operator’s perspective to identifying those issues and addressing them.
DEA registration & compliance →
Enforcement matters

Matters we handle

If you have received any of these, a response deadline may already be running. Terminology and procedure differ by state; the state links below cover the specifics.
Regulatory investigations, inspections, and records requests
Accusations and other formal disciplinary proceedings
Citations and administrative fines
License or registration suspension and revocation
Product holds and embargoes, where your state uses them
Local permit enforcement, where applicable
Not sure what you received? Identifying the document is the first thing we sort out.
Discuss an enforcement matter
Enforcement defense

Choose your state

Each state runs its own enforcement machinery, with its own agency, documents, and deadlines.
California: DCC license defenseAccusations, emergency orders, embargoes, Notices to Comply, citations, and local permit actions before the Department of Cannabis Control.California license defense → New York: OCM enforcementEnforcement defense, licensing, and compliance for operators regulated by the Office of Cannabis Management.New York cannabis attorney → Massachusetts: CCC enforcementEnforcement defense, licensing, and compliance for operators regulated by the Cannabis Control Commission.Massachusetts cannabis attorney →
California resources: Enforcement deadlines by documentAsset forfeiture after a seizure
After the resolution
Corrective obligations after a resolution
Most enforcement resolutions come with obligations attached: corrective action plans, updated procedures, training. Where it makes sense, Ryan can stay on to help implement them. That is a separate, optional engagement, and compliance work is also available to operators with no enforcement history.
Compliance & regulatory →
Federal DEA registration & compliance

DEA registration is only part of the picture.

Your application status, the businesses you buy from and sell to, your records, and any questions from DEA can affect your next steps. I help state-licensed medical cannabis businesses evaluate their position, prepare applications, respond to agency requests, and review supply-chain and inspection-readiness issues. Federal DEA matters nationwide.
Discuss your DEA matter
October 30 update
New federal guidance says Timely Applicants and DEA registrants may do business only with each other, lists the due diligence it expects, and sets a November 29, 2026 date for Timely Applicants to have compliant supply chains.
What it means for your business →
Applications and registration statusWhether you qualify as a Timely Applicant, what a pending application allows, and how to apply or complete an application now.DEA registration → DEA requests, inspections and application concernsFollow-up questions, information requests, inspections, and issues that could affect a pending application or an existing registration.Inspections and requests → Supplier, buyer and laboratory eligibilityWho you can do business with under the October 30 guidance, how to verify each partner, and what to do about the ones that do not qualify.Who you can do business with → Federal records and ongoing compliancePart 1304 records, the gap between state compliance and federal expectations, and inspection readiness after registration.Federal compliance →
Read: DEA registration & complianceMissed the window?The Federal Cannabis File
Why Ryan

Ryan’s background

Criminal trial experience
Ryan tried criminal cases as defense counsel. Administrative enforcement is not a criminal trial, but the skills transfer: evaluating the evidence behind an allegation, finding its weaknesses, preparing witnesses, and negotiating with a clear view of what a contested proceeding would require.
Cannabis regulatory representation
Enforcement defense and regulatory work before cannabis agencies in California, New York, and Massachusetts, matter by matter, under each state’s own procedures.
In-house legal and compliance leadership
Ryan led legal and compliance functions inside a cannabis company. When a resolution comes with corrective obligations attached, he has implemented them from the operator’s side, not just drafted them.
You work with Ryan
When you call, you talk to Ryan, not an intake desk, and he personally responds to inquiries within one business day.
Guides

Guides and resources

California enforcement deadlinesKey DCC enforcement tools, the clocks they start, and every California enforcement article.Enforcement hub → The Federal Cannabis FileEvery issue of the newsletter on federal cannabis law, with the articles each one draws on.Read past issues → All resourcesArticles by state, the Federal Cannabis File archive, and the firm’s guides.Resources →
The Federal Cannabis File
Federal cannabis law, explained
A free newsletter on federal cannabis law for state-licensed operators and their advisers: DEA registration, rescheduling, and what each development means for an operation. Read past issues.
Subscribe free →

Questions, answered

I received an enforcement document. What should I do first?

Note the date and how it reached you, keep everything, and call before you respond. Every enforcement document starts its own response deadline, some measured in days, and the rules differ by state: California’s DCC, New York’s OCM, and Massachusetts’ CCC each run their own procedures. Call or text (916) 572-6445. A free 30-minute consultation can help identify the document, assess the apparent deadline, and discuss next steps.

What does it cost to work with you?

Where the scope is clear, the fee is quoted in writing after the free 30-minute consultation. Open-ended matters may be handled in phases. Either way, the engagement letter sets the scope and the fee before the work begins.

Can you review a contract before I sign it?

Yes. Supply, distribution, white-label and brand licensing, consulting, leases, and purchase agreements, reviewed with written risk flags and recommended revisions. I also draft and negotiate. See contracts and transactions.

Do you handle corporate and LLC work?

Yes: entity formation, operating agreements, member buyouts and ownership changes, and governance, including the regulatory disclosures and approvals an ownership change can trigger. See corporate and governance.

Do you handle federal DEA registration?

Yes. Federal DEA registration and compliance for state-licensed medical cannabis operators is a distinct practice area, from evaluating whether registration fits your operation through the application, inspections, and follow-up questions. See DEA registration and compliance.

I applied for DEA registration in the window. Who can I do business with now?

Under the October 30 federal guidance, qualifying Timely Applicants and DEA registrants authorized for Schedule III medical marijuana may do business with each other and no one else, with due diligence on each partner and an expectation that Timely Applicants have compliant supply chains by November 29, 2026. Read the analysis, then call to talk through your own supply chain.

Do you accept referrals from other attorneys?

Yes. Attorneys refer cannabis regulatory and enforcement matters in California, New York, and Massachusetts. Call to discuss the matter; how responsibility and client communication are divided is agreed at the start and set out in the engagement letter.

Will I actually be working with you?

Yes. When you call, you talk to me, not an intake desk, and I personally respond to inquiries within one business day.

Discuss your matter

I personally respond within one business day. Please don’t send confidential details or documents until we’ve spoken and confirmed there’s no conflict.
Prefer to talk?
Call or text

Calling or texting is the fastest way to reach me. Enforcement notices can carry response windows measured in days.

Call (916) 572-6445 Or text (916) 572-6445 →

Contracts, corporate, compliance, or a DEA question without a deadline? Pick a time instead.

Book a free 30-minute consultation →

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