Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Victoria Cvitanovic. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Victoria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I used to be a prosecutor. Now I help people establish compliant businesses in psychedelics and cannabis.
I left criminal justice disheartened by drug policy in America. So many people I thought should be patients were being prosecuted in one of the most wealthy, technologically advanced societies in the world. I was shocked by how many sick people were self-medicating, and how powerful systems were leaving them behind.
I took a stable job at a large firm, with the goal of learning how the finance, healthcare, and technology industries fit together. I was desperate to understand a world that felt so confusing to me. I thought I would do this work forever, but then, I became a patient.
When I injured my back, I never expected to find help through psychedelic assisted therapy. It saved my life. I left my stable gig to help the people who helped me, and in turn, make sure the next person like me has access to care.
Victoria, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Victoria Cvitanovic. I’m a lawyer, Of Counsel to Rudick Law Group specifically. I bring together my experiences as both a prosecutor and a corporate attorney for a large firm to help people in emerging industries, mostly psychedelics and cannabis, to build sustainable businesses, get and stay compliant, manage cybersecurity and AI-integration, and negotiate workable agreements. I’m very proud of our fractional general counsel model, which allows us to be a partner in building the best ideas in the field without the burden of the billable hour. Wraparound legal support early in your entrepreneurial journey is our goal, and we love seeing what you can achieve with the right support.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I was a psychedelic-assisted therapy patient, and I’m not ashamed to say that. People in psychedelics and cannabis are often faced with having to convince people that their discipline is serious and that their products change lives for the better. Not me. I am walking today because of these medicines, and I am not afraid to stand up for these substances and all that they have given me.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn the lesson that any illegal substance is illegal because it’s harmful. I grew up in the rural conservative South, and I was raised to have a fairly optimistic view of government–laws were there to keep us safe, and they were based on facts. Prosecuting split me open emotionally–many of these drugs did nowhere near the amount of harm that the system itself did. When I needed help after my injury, it was people who fought drug laws who stepped up and helped me find options other than opiates–the same people who I was taught to believe were “bad” because they were promoting “bad” things. I had to let go of my biases to find health, and now, fighting that same bias is my career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rudicklawgroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.instagram.com/victoria_verified/&ved=2ahUKEwi3o7bWgZ-RAxWiSTABHbJjJzcQFnoECCEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3YmUKQ3jWN4qnOaMOPxCcF
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-cvitanovic-83648a90/
