Maximillian “Max” Mikalonis

Legislative and Regulatory Advocate, K Street Consulting

Maximillian “Max” Mikalonis offers expertise on public safety, local government, local taxes, and the Medicinal and Adult Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act. Prior to joining K Street, Mikalonis worked on these issues in the office of Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland).

While in the office of Assemblymember Bonta in 2015, Mikalonis staffed California’s landmark Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA). This law enacted the first comprehensive state regulations for the medical cannabis industry since voters first approved its use in 1996. Working through an extensive stakeholder process that brought together local governments, law enforcement, patient advocates, civil rights organizations, and the medical cannabis industry, Mikalonis crafted consensus provisions that improved public safety, protected patients, and preserved the environment. MCRSA’s passage prompted the drafters of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) to rewrite their proposed regulatory structure to mirror the new state law, and Proposition 64 was subsequently approved by voters in November 2016. The consolidated law that now governs California’s cannabis licensees is reconciliation of MCRSA and AUMA - the Medicinal and Adult Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act, or MAUCRSA.

Since 2017, Mikalonis has been involved in numerous legislative and regulatory discussions impacting the emergency and permanent regulations on behalf of K Street Consulting’s cannabis clients, and was involved in some of the most significant policy developments under MAUCRSA, such as the creation of the non-storefront retailer license and the expansion of cannabis delivery into all local jurisdictions.