Susan Burns is a business lawyer who guides businesses that are pursuing growth strategies. 

As an accomplished attorney with experience in several industries, Susan works with clients in the cannabis, health, technology, microbiology and food sectors. She also uses her expertise in agriculture and food law to help cannabis companies structure themselves to succeed in business-to-business or business-to-consumer environments—including one of her favorites—supporting growth for acquisition. 

Susan serves in leadership roles in the American Bar Association’s International Law Section, currently as Communications Officer, Founder & Co-Chair of the Food, Ag + Cannabis Committee, and Senior Adviser to the Mexico Committee. She is also a board member of the Minnesota Organic Advisory Task Force. 

Susan earned her L.L.M. in food and agriculture from the University of Arkansas School of Law, her J.D. from Hamline University School of Law and her B.A. from the College of St. Benedict (both in Minnesota). 

While completing her LL.M. Susan was a Legal Fellow for The Good Food Institute where she developed an interest in the regulation of new food technology. Her practicum subject was “Regulatory Pathways for Export of Cell-cultured Meat to Mexico.” 

But her fascination with the nascent cannabis industry has consumed her publishing and speaking interests. She is a frequent presenter on the regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoids and the rapidly growing cannabis hospitality industry. Susan is a regular contributor to the Cannabis Law Journal. 

Rod is a cannabis business law attorney. Based in North Carolina and Mexico, Rod represents legal cannabis businesses throughout the world and is editor and chief writer of the Kight On Cannabis law blog. Rod is the author of “Cannabis Business Law-What You Need to Know”, published by Aspatore Books. He has served on the advisory board for the American Journal of Endocannabinoid Medicine, for which he has also written a legal column. Rod also created the “Source Rule”, which is widely regarded as a primary legal foundation for the contemporary hemp market in cannabinoids and other cannabis materials.

Rod is frequently quoted on cannabis matters by trade publications and major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Time, Politico, and Business Insider. Additionally, Rod has been listed in MG Magazine's list of "30 Powerful Litigators", Hemp Connoisseur Magazine’s list of “100 People You Should Know”, and High Time's "2020 Leaders in Cannabis Law." He is part of the legal teams in two high-profile cases against the DEA and the Texas Department of State Health Services regarding hemp extracts, has drafted and presented cannabis legislation to a foreign head of state, is a member of the board of directors of a publicly traded Canadian cannabis and psychedelics company, testified to the FDA about CBD and cannabis compounds, and is a partner in a Mexican import-export company focused on legal cross-border hemp transactions. Rod routinely advises in-house counsel and C-suite level executives on cannabis issues. He has discussed cannabis legal issues in numerous seminars to lawyers, business executives, and public officials and is regularly asked to be a guest speaker on US and inter- national podcasts about cannabis and psychedelics.

Rod is a strong believer in cannabis for personal and medical use after using it successfully during chemotherapy treatments for cancer (he is in remission). He has been an attorney advocate for NORML and has also been a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association, the National Cannabis Industry Association, the Hemp Industries Association, and the Southeast Hemp Association.

Glenn McElfresh works tirelessly for Plift, directing his strong problem-solving, entrepreneurial and relationship-building skills toward bolstering team success and customer satisfaction. With a diverse background that spans competitive weightlifting, startups, tech and cannabis compliance, Glenn co-founded Plift to make a difference for other bootstrappers and dreamers in the cannabis industry. He has first-hand experience at every level in the cannabis industry from budtender to executive to founder. Glenn specializes in both advocacy and execution and has successfully navigated the application processes for licensing in multiple states across the country.

Jessica Wasserman is the founder and CEO of WassermanRowe, a DC-based law and government relations firm providing services to Food and Drug Administration-regulated industries, including  food, supplements, medical devices, botanical drugs and drugs.    She has worked in Congress, federal agencies (at both career and political levels) and major law firms.    She has worked on hemp and cannabinoid issues since the 2018 Farm Bill decriminalized and defined hemp.  Having worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she hit the ground running on the hemp harvest issues and then pivoted to the cannabis  FDA issues (Warning Letters for drug label claims compliance; GMPs; Epidiolex drug preclusion issue; GRAS; NDI) as CBD manufacturers and retailers faced these issues.   Currently, Jessica lobbies and advises on compliance on a wide range of cannabis issues, including reauthorization of the 2018 Farm Bill;  the proliferation of state laws focused on “intoxicating” cannabinoid products; compliance for edible products sold in dispensaries;  federal lobbying on the ongoing FDA cannabis scheduling review and more.  Jessica is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.