Michael Minardi

Attorney, Minardi Law

Michael Minardi

Attorney, Minardi Law
(813) 995-8227
michael@minardilaw.com

Biography

Michael C. Minardi is the Senior Partner at Minardi Law.  For over 18 years, Michael has dedicated his practice to fighting for clients charged with cannabis crimes and advocating for cannabis law reform and personal freedoms.  His passion has driven him to learning and understanding medical and legal cannabis laws in the State of Florida and throughout the country.  In order to continue the push for legalization and goal to make this world a better place Michael launched his candidacy for House of Representatives in Florida to change the laws from the inside.  

Michael’s practice represents clients in corporate cannabis consulting, application preparation, lobbying, forfeiture matters, civil litigation, and criminal matters. He has won many medical cannabis cases, including several landmark high-profile cases in Florida.  He won the first and second jury trials in Florida presenting the medical necessity defense to cultivation and possession of cannabis charges.  Michael has represented many patients, including over a dozen veterans, facing charges for using marijuana as medicine.  He successfully defended Kristoffer Lewandowski in Oklahoma, a ten-year marine veteran, who was facing two-years to life in prison for five plants. 

Michael has continued to fight for peoples individual rights and is working on establishing the medical necessity defense for people using psychedelics for medical purposes in Florida.  It was recently presented in criminal case in Martin County that resulted in significantly reduced sentencing for the client. Michael will continue to expand this argument to defend all individuals using psychedelics for mental health reasons.  

Michael is leading the charge to legalize marijuana as the Campaign Manager of Regulate Florida.  Michael continues to be at the forefront in Florida in educating the public on the safety of cannabis and bringing light to the harm being perpetuated by current laws.  He was named in THC Magazine as 1 of 100 People You Should Know, October 2016, Freedom Fighter of the Month in High Times Magazine, quoted in Forbes Magazine and covered in VICE. His passionate belief’s about ending prohibition continues to put him on the cutting edge of the movement in Florida and throughout the nation. 

Michael’s advocacy includes being the Campaign Manager of Regulate Florida, a Lifetime Member of the National NORML Legal Committee, a member of the National Cannabis Industry Association, Co-Founder of the Cannabis Executive Council, a board member of The Silver Tour, and Board member and Legal Director of NORML of Florida.  Michael and his wife, Sol, also run a non-profit the Tu-Canna 420 Foundation to educate and give back to the community.  Michael earned his undergraduate degree Cum Laude from the University of Rhode Island in 1998, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad Law Center in 2002, where he was a Senior Staff Member of the Nova Law Review

All sessions by Michael Minardi

Panel Discussion: Preparing for Legalization

06 Aug 2022
13:00 - 13:45
Meeting Room 123