Alden Yako

Alden Yako is a Arizona attorney whose practice includes cannabis and marijuana law, based in Scottsdale. With 8 years since admission, Yako is a graduate of Arizona Summit Law School. The listing also shows work in possession and distribution charges that still apply outside the licensing system, DUI matters turning on drug-recognition evidence and the limits of THC testing and company structuring, shareholder arrangements and sale or transfer of licensed businesses.

In Arizona, adults may lawfully possess cannabis and licensed businesses may sell it, which moves most of the legal work out of the courtroom and into licensing, land use and compliance, without removing criminal risk entirely. The Arizona Department of Health Services administers the state program. Arizona is a market where adult-use licenses were issued largely to existing medical operators, and social equity licensing has drawn litigation.