Overview

Dan Smith serves of counsel in the Vicente LLP Boston office, and he is vice president of the firm's policy and public affairs consulting affiliate, VS Strategies.

Dan joined Vicente LLP from the Office of State Senator Patricia Jehlen, the Senate chair of the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy. In his role as legislative director and general counsel, Dan managed all the legislative work that went through the committee, most notably H. 3818, which created the statutory framework for recreational cannabis in Massachusetts. That bill, which was signed into law and became Ch. 55 of the Massachusetts Acts of 2017, also codified much of Massachusetts’ medical cannabis program. During that process, Dan met with stakeholders and experts from across the country, drafted much of the language that was signed into law, and was part of the team that negotiated the final compromise. In addition to his work with cannabis legalization, Dan successfully passed many other pieces of legislation during his time in the legislature, particularly in the areas of criminal justice and labor and employment law. He was one of the primary strategists behind a groundbreaking equal pay bill, Ch. 177 of the Massachusetts Acts of 2016, that received widespread press coverage and inspired similar efforts in many other states and in Congress. 

Events

• Speaker, Massachusetts Association of Agriculture Commissions Annual Meeting, "Hemp Updates, Regulations, and Legislation,” Marlborough, February 22, 2020
• Presenter, Worcester Business Journal, "Cannabis Forum,” Worcester. Massachusetts, January 15, 2020