Stephan Ferris is the founder of the Law Office of Stephan F. Ferris, a cannabis, business, and queer entertainment focused law practice with a primary residence in San Francisco. He is part of an emerging generation of openly queer and sexually progressive activist attorneys who see the law as an opportunity to make social, civic, and cultural change. Stephan serves on the board of directors of Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (“BALIF”) and on the Continuing Legal Education committee of the International Cannabis Bar Association.
 

Sahar Ayinehsazian is an attorney in Vicente Sederberg's Los Angeles office, where she focuses on cannabis banking, corporate transactions, and regulations. With her specialized knowledge, Sahar helped to establish and currently co-chairs Vicente Sederberg's Banking and Financial Services Department. As a member of the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Banking Access Committee, Sahar also works on strategy and educational advocacy to enable state-licensed businesses to obtain accounts at depository institutions.

Prior to joining Vicente Sederberg, Sahar served as the director of regulatory and governmental affairs at a multi-state money transmitter servicing the cannabis industry, where she developed a comprehensive understanding of credit card flow, banking and cannabis compliance. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, from the University of California, San Diego and a law degree from Loyola Law School, where she was a Loyola Scholar.

Mitzi Vaughn is a shareholder at Karr Tuttle Campbell in Seattle, Washington. She represents clients in matters of cannabis regulatory compliance, corporate transactions and governance, and intellectual property. She was a founding board member of the International Cannabis Bar Association and currently sits on its advisory board.

From 2017 to 2020, Mitzi was the Chief Legal Officer of a company that provides intellectual property licensing, financing, real estate and hard assets leases, and other support to U.S. and international cannabis and hemp enterprises. From 2013 to 2017 she worked with Greenbridge Corporate Counsel, a transactional law boutique exclusively serving the cannabis industry in Washington, California, and Hawai’i. She served as its Managing Attorney. She has advised governmental bodies regarding cannabis regulation, including the Jamaican Cannabis Licensing Authority, the Hawaii Legislature’s Joint Health Committee, members of the Washington State Legislature, and the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (“WSLCB”).

In 2019, Mitzi participated in legislative negotiations the resulted in the passage SSB 5318 – the statute “reforming the compliance and enforcement provisions for marijuana licensees.” She drafted revisions to the first bill that were incorporated into the substitute bill and voted into law. Mitzi subsequently assisted in drafting Washington Administrative Code provisions and WSLCB Enforcement Division policies implementing SSB 5318. She continues to be active in the legislative and rulemaking process.

Mitzi is also actively involved with international and U.S. drug policy reform organizations. She served as General Counsel to the Coalition for Cannabis Standards and Ethics (WA) from 2013-2015.  Since 2015, she has represented The Cannabis Alliance (successor to CCSE) in a General Counsel role. Finally, Mitzi is a Board Member for the Drug Reform Coordination Network & the DRCNet Foundation, organizations that are active at the United Nations at home and abroad.

Mitzi was awarded a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, studied international human rights at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, and earned a B.A. in History, magna cum laude, from the University of Texas at San Antonio.