Federal & State Cannabis Counsel — CA · NY · MA

Cannabis Attorney For Federal And State matters.

Ryan Kocot is a cannabis attorney offering DEA registration, state licensing, compliance, and transactional services in California, Massachusetts, and New York. Submit your legal matter now for a quick response.

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Our Services Empower Your cannabis Brand.

Explore our comprehensive range of cannabis legal services and solutions. Kocot Law represents cannabis operators on federal and state matters. Services include DEA registration applications for cultivators, manufacturers, distributors, dispensaries, researchers, and import/export operators, as well as federal compliance and rescheduling-related advisory work. State practice covers California, Massachusetts, and New York, with a focus on licensing (DCC, CCC, OCM applications and renewals), regulatory compliance (SOPs, METRC, Notice to Comply responses), contracts and transactions (supply, distribution, M&A, white-label), and corporate governance (entity formation, ownership disclosures, multi-state holding structures). California criminal defense and nationwide cannabis expert testimony round out the practice.

01

DEA REGISTRATION

DEA registration applications for all operator types: cultivators, manufacturers, distributors, dispensaries, importers, and exporters.

02

Permitting & Licensing 

DCC, CCC, and OCM applications and renewals, local permitting, and ownership change filings.

03

Compliance & Regulatory

SOPs, METRC, audits, enforcement responses, Notice to Comply filings, and cure period strategy. The day-to-day work of staying licensed.

04

Contracts & Transactions 

Supply agreements, distribution contracts, white-label arrangements, M&A, asset purchases, IP licensing. Cannabis-specific traps that are often missed.

04

Contracts & Transactions 

Supply agreements, distribution contracts, white-label arrangements, M&A, asset purchases, IP licensing. Cannabis-specific traps that are often missed.

05

corporate & llc

Strategic structuring, entity formation, operating agreements, ownership disclosures, and multi-state holding structures.

06

Asset Forfeiture

Cash or product seized? Deadlines can be as short as 30 days, and silence forfeits your property. We file claims and fight for its return.

Why Operators Hire Ryan Kocot as their cannabis attorney

Ryan Kocot is a cannabis attorney with hands-on day-to-day operational experience in addition to his legal skillset. Years ago, he served as the head of legal and compliance for a cannabis company that grew from a startup to a multinational public company.

During that time, he drafted first-of-their-kind commercial agreements in the absence of precedent, as the use case was too new. He built compliance programs from scratch, programs without templates because the regulatory framework was still being written.

That’s the difference. When you bring a matter to Kocot Law, you’re not getting a lawyer who has read about how cannabis companies operate. You’re getting one who built the operational and compliance machinery from the inside, in real conditions, while the rules were still forming.

Other highlights include:

  • Three bar admissions: California, Massachusetts, and New York. One of a small number of attorneys who can practice in all three primary cannabis jurisdictions simultaneously. This is useful when your operations span multiple states, your investors are in another state, or your compliance program needs to harmonize across markets.
  • Federal practice. DEA registration applications for all operator types (cultivators, manufacturers, distributors, dispensaries, researchers, importers, exporters) in any state. Federal compliance and rescheduling advisory work for state-licensed operators.
  • Former Forbes contributor on cannabis law (2023-2025). Published analysis on federal rescheduling, state regulatory trends, and the operational realities of running a cannabis business under shifting law.

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