Overview

Jason Tarasek serves as counsel at Vicente LLP and manages the firm's Minnesota office. He assists hemp, cannabinoid, medical-marijuana and adult-use cannabis clients throughout the Upper Midwest. With more than 20 years of legal experience as a transactional attorney and litigator, he has handled hundreds of civil-litigation matters and first-chaired several trials in state courts and federal courts throughout the Upper Midwest.

In 2023, Jason advocated for Minnesota’s passage of an adult-use cannabis bill. Over the course of several months, Jason worked closely with chief bill authors Sen. Lindsey Port, Rep. Zack Stephenson and legislative staff to fine-tune the landmark legislation.

In 2022, Jason successfully lobbied in favor of Minnesota’s “hemp-derived THC” law, working closely with Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, Rep. Heather Edelson, Republican senators, and a team of other talented lobbyists to draft and negotiate the terms of the groundbreaking legislation. Previously, Jason served as Minnesota Political Director for the Marijuana Policy Project, where he helped draft legislation to legalize adult-use marijuana in Minnesota and helped guide the bill to the state’s first-ever legislative hearing on a cannabis legalization bill. He is also a former board member of the Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota.

Jason is a frequent speaker on legal issues related to hemp, cannabinoids, and marijuana, and in 2020 he served as an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline Law School, where he co-taught a seminar titled “Marijuana and the Law.” He has been repeatedly named to the list of Super Lawyers, an honor bestowed on only the top 5% of attorneys in Minnesota.

Jason received his J.D. from the University of California – Hastings College of the Law, and his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He is admitted to the state bar associations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Michigan, and California. 

Experience

• Minnesota Cannabis Association, Board of Directors, 2019-2022
• Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota, Board of Directors, 2020-2022
• Youth sports coach (basketball and baseball)

Recognition

• Super Lawyers: 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023
• Named Twin Cities Business “100 to Watch” for 2023

Events

• Speaker, Annual Convention of the Wisconsin Land Title Association , "Cannabis around us –Wisconsin's neighbors are beginning to legalize cannabis. What does that mean for Wisconsin?,” Wisconsin, September 14, 2023
• Speaker, Ramsey County Law Library CLE, "Upcoming changes in the law with the Cannabis legalization,” , August 09, 2023
• Speaker, Minnesota Cannabis Law Conference 2023, "The ABCs of Cannabis – What You Need to Know About Cannabis, Marijuana, Hemp, and THC to Understand the Impact of the New Cannabis Legislation,” Minneapolis, July 31, 2023
• Speaker, Minnesota Board of Dentistry , "Public Board Meeting,” Online, July 14, 2023
• Speaker, Trail Magic Retailer Party, "Discussion of Minnesota's new adult-use cannabis legalization bill,” Minneapolis, June 12, 2023