Heather is a Founding Partner with Heather L. Burke, P.C., a values-based boutique law firm serving clients throughout California's legacy producing regions, including the Emerald Triangle and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. In this episode, Heather walks us through new hope for Legacy Farmers and traditional medicine makers through appellations and softening regulations and inequities between cannabis and hemp distinctions.
Her practice focuses on cannabis agriculture and complex supply chain logistics, a field that encompasses transactional, business, land use, and regulatory law. In light of her significant work in the field of cannabis agriculture, Heather has developed expertise in the state's developing cannabis appellation program.
Graduating from Humboldt State University in 2005, Heather consistently set new legal precedent in California cannabis law. As a student, she was instrumental in the seminal cannabis case, People v. Jovan Jackson, which established the rule that large-scale collectives/cooperatives may operate lawfully in California. In addition to winning numerous high-profile cannabis cases throughout her career, Heather's team earned a five-day evidentiary hearing regarding cannabis' Schedule I status in U.S. v. Pickard in federal court, an extraordinary feat in federal cannabis litigation.
In 2018, Heather was featured in MG Retailer's article, "30 Powerful Cannabis Attorneys You Should Know." She was named "Attorney of the Year" by the Nevada County Cannabis Cup in 2017, and one of Skunk Magazine's Women of Weed for 2015. Heather was awarded NORML's John Mark Flowers Scholar in 2015. Heather also co-drafted the proposed initiative to legalize cannabis, The California Craft Cannabis Initiative.
Currently, Heather serves on the International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA) on their Cannabis Appellations Subcommittee where she is also the chair of the Advocacy and Pro Bono Committee. She is an avid supporter of the International Cannabis Farmers Association (ICFA), the Humboldt County Growers Association (HCGA), and the Nevada County Cannabis Alliance (NCCA).
In addition to her vibrant law practice throughout Northern California, Heather is a regular speaker and panelist at cannabis conferences around the nation, and she pens a popular blog focused on legal issues affecting cannabis agriculture. Her most recent speaking engagements have focused on areas of cannabis appellations, cannabis genetics, and supporting California's legacy cannabis farming communities.
Useful links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-l-burke-1216971b/
Forbes article Emerald Cup 2021 Judges
To learn more about plants & your health from Colleen at LabAroma check out this informative PDF
Disclaimer: The information presented in this podcast is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor if you are in need of medical care, and before making any changes to your health routine.
-02.png)
