Ariel Clark (she/they) is an attorney and co-founder of Clark Howell LLP, a women-steered law firm focused on cannabis, hemp and psychedelics. As decriminalization and research efforts expand across California and the nation for plant-based and other historically misunderstood compounds, Clark Howell LLP is actively engaged in the conversation and helping to shape policy that emphasizes open source, ethical business models that reimagine a new role for capitalism in commercialization.

Ariel is a founding Board Member of the Psychedelic Bar Association (PBA), and is the Board Representative to the Religious Use Committee and participates in the Legislation and Regulation Committee. Ariel is General Legal Counsel to Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and is on the Board. She is also a member of the Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants. She has been involved in numerous drug policy, social equity and justice reform efforts in her life. Among other organizational leadership roles, she founded and ran the Los Angeles Cannabis Task Force, she co-founded and serves on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Cannabis Law Section, and she co-founded the Cannaboss Womxn’s Circle.

Her organization affiliations have included the International Cannabis Bar Association, the California Native American Cannabis Association, and the California and National Cannabis Industry Associations. She has been recognized by Rolling Stone as one of 18 “Women Shaping The Culture of Tomorrow”; Cannabis Business Executive as “75 Most Important Women in Cannabis”; mg Magazine as “30 Most Powerful Cannabis Lawyers”; and Entrepreneur’s “Top 100 Cannabis Leaders.” She is licensed in California; J.D., University of California Berkeley School of Law (2005); B.A. in Religious Studies, University of Michigan (2000).