Omar Figueroa

Attorney

Omar Figueroa has more than twenty three years of experience at the vanguard of California cannabis law and is widely respected as an industry expert.

Omar earned his Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Yale College in Connecticut and his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in California. He also graduated from the Trial Lawyers College in Wyoming, and earned a certificate from the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at The Wharton School after completing the intensive “Boards That Lead: Corporate Governance That Builds Value” program in Pennsylvania for directors of corporate boards. 

Omar is a Director of the National Cannabis Industry Association as well as a Director of the Cannabis Travel Association International.  He is also a Founding Lifetime Member and former Director of the International Cannabis Bar Association, a Lifetime Member of the NORML Legal Committee, and recognized with the Distinguished Counsel’s Award by NORML. 

Omar is the author of numerous legal reference works including: 2022 California Cannabis Laws and Regulations, New York Cannabis Laws and Regulations 2021, 2021 California Cannabis Laws and Regulations (available in a Kindle Edition), California Cannabis Laws and Regulations 2020 (also available in a Kindle Edition),  California Cannabis Laws and Regulations: 2019 Edition (also available in a Kindle Edition), California Cannabis Laws: MAUCRSA Edition (also available in a Kindle edition), and Cannabis Codes of California: Legalization Edition.  

Omar has earned respect for his historic work documenting the legal evolution of cannabis law in California.  His books are part of the collection of the Stanford Libraries and can be found at the Robert Crown Law Library at Stanford Law School.

Omar was trained as a litigator by his mentor, legendary San Francisco trial lawyer J. Tony Serra.  He also served a two year-term as a member of the Sonoma County Cannabis Advisory Group after being appointed by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

Omar frequently appears in media coverage as a legal expert on cannabis.  He has spoken at cannabis events around the world, such as Spannabis and The International Cannabis Business Conference in Barcelona, MJBizCon NEXT in New Orleans, The Emerald Cup in Sonoma County, and the State of Cannabis in Long Beach, to name a few. 

Omar’s cannabis expertise is not limited to the law, and he has at various times over the years served as a judge for The Emerald Cup, which has been characterized as the Academy Awards of Cannabis.  He is a member of the Ganjier Founder’s Circle and, along with a team of cannabis experts, guided the development of the Ganjier cannabis sommelier certification program.

Omar’s interests are not limited to cannabis, and he has a profound, long-term interest in entheogen law and policy. Omar has served as a  Legal Advisor to Decriminalize California, a campaign to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms in California by means of a statewide voter initiative.

Omar also volunteers his time as a Board Member with the Sonoma County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California, and is active with the Law Enforcement Surveillance Technology (LEST) team. 

Omar considers himself fortunate to live  in gorgeous West Sonoma County.  In his free time, Omar practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and has patiently advanced over many years to the rank of purple belt.  Like the late Anthony Bourdain, another purple belt, Omar’s humble goal in jiu-jitsu is to “suck less tomorrow” by focusing on technique and making small incremental improvements.