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DEDICATED TO NORMALIZING CANNABIS

 through education and advocacy

Rachael dedicates her career to normalizing the cannabis industry, not only through providing valuable legal services to her clients, but through educating and advocating for the mainstream acceptance of cannabis in society.  Some of her educational and advocacy efforts include:

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  • Moderating a panel on the Future of East Coast Cannabis at the Cannabis Quality Expo in Parsippany, NJ

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  • Speaking on all the moving parts of establishing an independent cannabis business at the NJCBA's Lunch and Learn

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  • Teaching Cannabis law at Community College of Denver (2022)

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  • Establishing the Colorado Bar Association's Social Equity Pro Bono Program where volunteer attorneys provide free legal consultations to Colorado Social Equity Applicants

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  • Serving on rule-making work groups with the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division.

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  • Authoring and presenting a webinar to introduce attorneys and law students to cannabis law and how various areas of practice are impacted by and relevant to the burgeoning U.S. cannabis industry.

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  • Sharing video tips for the cannabis industry on the RZA Legal youtube channel.

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  • Presenting to Denver-area groups including Denver NORML and Denver Women of Cannabis on Colorado home grow laws and being a woman entrepreneur in the cannabis industry, speaking about Colorado's public consumption laws and regulations on a Cannabis Rules & Regulatory Changes panel During Denver Arts Week at the Megafauna Gallery and HTBX social consumption pop-up, the first special events licensee issued for public consumption in Denver,  and with the University of Denver School of Law's Student International Cannabis Bar Association.

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Available for speaking engagements on cannabis law, investing in hemp and marijuana businesses, regulatory compliance, licensing, transitioning law practice to include catering to cannabis law clients, and other cannabis law and policy topics.

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After serving in-house, Brian moved into consulting, where he helped develop one of the nation’s first industry-specific liability insurance policies for a nationwide carrier. He later advised clients on competitive licensing applications and regulatory strategy across multiple jurisdictions, counseling on legislative, regulatory, and public policy matters. Brian joined RZA Legal in 2020, where he represents Colorado businesses and property owners throughout the full lifecycle of their operations and investments. His practice includes real estate acquisitions and dispositions, commercial leasing, land use and zoning matters, entity structuring and financing, contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, employment matters, and state and local government representation. He regularly works with mountain community clients navigating complex local regulations affecting development, use, and operation of real property. Brian also assists municipalities with drafting and revising ordinances governing regulated business activity, balancing operational realities, community priorities, and legal risk. Brian is active in legal scholarship and education. He has published in the University of Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law and the Pepperdine Law Review, written on regulatory reform for the Cannabis Industry Journal, and previously served as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Wyoming. Before practicing in Colorado, Brian worked in New York City in private practice and clerked for a judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade. Brian lives in Grand Lake, Colorado, with his wife and has volunteered as a first responder with Grand County Mountain Rescue and Rocky Mountain National Park Rescue since 2015. Outside of work, he enjoys backcountry skiing, playing old-time rock ’n’ roll, and spending time with family in New Jersey. Brian is licensed to practice law in Colorado, New Jersey, and New York. Optional closing sentence: You don’t have to navigate an evolving regulatory and real estate landscape alone—RZA Legal is prepared to guide you at every stage.

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(303) 586-5020

Denver, Fort Collins & Grand Lake

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The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

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© 2017-2025 by Rachael Z. Ardanuy, Attorney at Law, P.C.

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