Canadian Lawyer InHouse

MARCH/APRIL 2019 40 INHOUSE P r o f e s s i o n a l P r o f i l e IN AN INDUSTRY that is struggling on a daily basis to interpret the regulations as set out by Health Canada, those in the can- nabis sector work each day to determine if what they are doing complies with what the regulator has set out. In particular, those who manage advertising and marketing have their own set of unique challenges. As senior legal counsel and corporate sec- retary at Lift & Co., Mariana Fonar deals with questions around cannabis promotion and marketing, trying to navigate what many describe as diffi cult to interpret reg- ulations. Founded in 2013, Lift & Co. was created to be an online meeting place for people to share experiences and read indus- try news and discover strains. It was also the fi rst site that produced product reviews and helped people learn about all of the products on offer from the industry. Many corporate commercial lawyers, like Fonar, have left private practice to enter the cannabis sector, seeing it as an opportunity to break new ground in an area of evolving law. Prior to taking on the role at Lift & Co., Fonar worked for one of the largest develop- ers and owners of utility-scale solar energy projects in the world, a portfolio company of CalPERS (the California Public Employ- ees' Retirement System). "I was lucky to work and learn from a very smart, business- minded general counsel, a former partner from one of the large multinational Bay Street fi rms," she says. She now fi nds her role at Lift & Co. an exciting and challenging one. "As someone leading the legal depart- ment of a dynamic company in the can- nabis space, I fi nd it exciting to be part of a group of trailblazers in the fi eld of law. No one has done this before, and we're all working together to navigate new legisla- tion while building business frameworks that will defi ne how this industry works around the world," says Fonar, who was the only in-house lawyer until earlier this year. Following Lift & Co. commencing pub- lic trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under TSXV:LIFT in late 2018, and in an- ticipation of the newly announced CannSell training program for Ontario this year, they welcomed a second member of the legal team in January. Fonar describes Lift & Co. as a media and technology company. The organization holds conferences (Lift & Co. Expos and Lift & Co. Cannabis Business Conferences, Canadian Cannabis Awards) and it pub- lishes a magazine. She says she was drawn to the opportunity to work in a fast-paced sector and have the ability to be involved in Providing clarity in the cannabis sector In-house lawyers like Mariana Fonar are providing guidance to clients in the murky world of cannabis marketing. BY JENNIFER BROWN

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