LarissaMoessmer
Life sciences and healthcare regulatory lawyer, guiding cannabis and emerging psychedelic therapies through German and European law.
I advise companies, founders, scientists and investors where innovation meets regulation.
My mission
Building bridges between law, science, business and politics, so that the next generation of medicines can find its place in a regulated world.
About
Some of the most promising medicines of this decade are also among the most tightly controlled substances in the world. My work sits exactly there.
I am a German-licensed lawyer specialising in life sciences and healthcare regulatory law, with particular expertise in cannabis and emerging psychedelic therapies.
What sets my work apart is the combination of health regulatory law with intellectual property and competition law, and a deep understanding of the cannabis and psychedelics industries. This allows me to see the full picture, from regulatory approval to brand protection, and to offer tailored legal solutions to clients navigating these highly regulated markets.
During six and a half years at Osborne Clarke, I advised on a broad range of life sciences regulatory and intellectual property matters. In the run-up to Germany's partial legalisation of cannabis, I built and co-led the firm's German cannabis practice, guiding German and international clients through the legalisation process, its implementation and the political dynamics that continue to shape the market. Today, I continue to advise clients on cannabis and psychedelics regulation in Germany and the EU.
In addition to my legal practice, I am dedicated to driving the conversation on cannabis and psychedelic therapies forward and to helping shape regulation that gives patients access to them. I contribute to this discourse, and to making complex regulation understandable to a wider audience, through articles, interviews, speaking at international conferences and hosting a podcast on cannabis regulation and legalisation in Germany.
My work has been recognised by the Cannabis Law Report, which named me among the Global Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers in 2024/25 and 2025/26, and by World Intellectual Property Review as a WIPR Future Champion 2025. In 2025, I was also selected for the Women Talent Pool Leadership Programme of the European Network for Women in Leadership (WIL Europe), which trains the next generation of female leaders in Europe.
Born in California and raised in Munich, with German, American and Portuguese roots, I have always worked across borders, from New York to San Francisco and Berlin.
I am also a trained psychedelic breathwork facilitator, currently completing the Compassionate Inquiry Professional Training developed by Dr. Gabor Maté, and deeply passionate about new approaches to healing and mental health.
Previous experience
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Osborne Clarke
Berlin, Munich and San FranciscoAttorney-at-law. Life Sciences & Healthcare Regulatory and Intellectual Property Law, specialising in cannabis regulation. Co-Head of the German Cannabis Group. Including a secondment to the San Francisco office.
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World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
GenevaHead of Delegation for ELSA International (European Law Students' Association).
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Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
MunichLegal Trainee, Intellectual Property.
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United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)
New YorkDelegate for ELSA International (European Law Students' Association).
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Noerr
Munich and New YorkLegal Trainee in Munich and intern at the New York office.
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Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office
Santa Barbara, CaliforniaIntern, criminal law.
Education
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Legal Traineeship, Higher Regional Court Munich
Degree: Second State Examination in LawTwo-year legal traineeship with placements at the Regional Court Munich I, the Public Prosecutor's Office Munich I, the Government of Upper Bavaria and a law firm in Tel Aviv.
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Law School, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Degree: First State Examination in LawLaw studies, complemented by a semester as a visiting student in Legal Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
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University of California, Berkeley
Visiting Student, Legal Studies -
Oriel College, University of Oxford
International Business Law Summer School
Associations
European Network for Women in Leadership (WIL Europe)
Selected for the 10th edition of the Women Talent Pool Leadership Programme (2025).
German American Lawyers' Association (DAJV)
Member of the Deutsch-Amerikanische Juristen-Vereinigung.
EmpowHer Global Female Cannabis Society
Member since 2024.
My Work
I advise cannabis, psychedelic and pharmaceutical companies, from early-stage start-ups to established businesses, as well as researchers and investors, on bringing products to market in some of the most tightly regulated sectors in Europe, from the first regulatory assessment to market entry and beyond.
Medical cannabis and cannabis regulation
Advice on the Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG) and the Cannabis Act (CanG), including licensing, import and supply chain structures, CBD products, and telemedicine and pharmacy models. I help clients understand where the legal framework stands today and how to prepare for where it is heading.
Psychedelics and novel therapies
Regulatory strategy for companies, clinics and therapy providers working with emerging psychedelic therapies, including scheduling under the Narcotics Act (BtMG), clinical development, compassionate use, off-label treatment and pathways to market access in Germany and the EU.
Pharma and healthcare regulation
Advice on pharmaceutical law, food and cosmetics law, borderline products, digital health and telemedicine. From assessing a product's legal status to labelling, market entry and distribution, I help clients classify their products correctly and build compliant business models that hold up in practice.
Health advertising, IP and competition
Health advertising law compliance for campaigns and communication on products and treatments, trademark strategy and brand protection, and the enforcement and defence of claims under unfair competition and trademark law, especially in restricted and newly regulated markets.
Cannabis in Germany
Germany has become Europe's largest test case. With the partial legalisation of cannabis in April 2024, adults may now possess and grow cannabis and cultivate it collectively in licensed associations, while medical cannabis was moved out of narcotics law into the Medical Cannabis Act, fuelling rapid growth in the medical market. The field remains highly dynamic: political debate continues, and the new federal government has proposed an amendment to tighten the rules for medical cannabis. Other European countries are watching closely, as Germany's approach may shape the wider debate. For companies, this creates both opportunity and uncertainty, and the need for advice that anticipates where regulation is heading.
Psychedelics in Germany
Germany is moving, carefully but noticeably. Esketamine, a ketamine-derived nasal spray, is authorised for treatment-resistant depression, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is already offered off-label in some psychiatric practices and clinics. For classic psychedelics, access remains the exception: in 2025, a compassionate use programme for psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression was launched, while clinical trials continue to build the evidence base. No psilocybin medicine has yet been authorised, and access still depends on exceptional programmes and research. For companies entering this field, understanding these pathways is the first step towards bringing therapies to patients.
Speaking
I speak as an industry expert at leading conferences in Germany and internationally.
In German and English, on cannabis and psychedelics regulation, market entry, health advertising and IP for start-ups.
- Panel
Amending the Medical Cannabis Act: A New Era Ahead?
Cannabis Business Expo & Conference, Dortmund
- Keynote
The State of the German Cannabis Market: Where Policy Meets Opportunity
Cannabis Business Club, Berlin
- Panel
Germany's New Government: The Impact on the German Cannabis Market
C-Days, Barcelona
- Workshop
IP Essentials for Start-ups
MotionLab.Berlin
- Panel
Medical Cannabis as the Cornerstone of Domestic Growth
Business of Cannabis, Berlin
- Talk
IP Essentials for Start-ups: What Every Founder Should Know
TUM Venture Labs, Technical University of Munich
- Panel
Legacy vs. Legal: Shaping the Future of the Cannabis Sector
2nd German Cannabis Law Day (Deutscher Cannabis-Rechtstag), online
- Panel
Cannabis in Germany: The Starting Pistol for Europe?
Cannabis Europa, London
- Webinar
Compliance for Breakfast: CBD Regulation in Europe
Osborne Clarke
- Webinar
IP Basics for Start-ups
StarTUp School Berlin, Technical University of Berlin
- Webinar
Marketing Products in the Life Sciences Sector
Science4Life
Gallery
Podcast
High Legality
Legal Insights into the Cannabis Market
I created and host this podcast on the German cannabis market, talking with founders, policymakers and advocates shaping the industry.
Most episodes are in German.
Medical cannabis and the start-up scene after partial legalisation
with Finn Age Hänsel, founder of Sanity Group
Cannabis clubs and the rules for communal cultivation
with Stefan Röhrl, CEO and co-founder of HempGroup
What partial legalisation means for employment law
with Dr. Philipp Raben
Will cannabis stay legal after the federal election?
with Georg Wurth, Deutscher Hanfverband (German Hemp Association)
A new podcast on psychedelics, where regulation meets science, business and culture.
Get notifiedWorking with cannabis or psychedelics? Let's talk.
Legal Notice (Impressum)
Information pursuant to § 5 of the German Digital Services Act (DDG) and § 2 of the German Regulation on Information Obligations for Services (DL-InfoV)
Provider
Larissa Mößmer
Rechtsanwältin (attorney-at-law)
Kriemhildenstraße 7
80639 Munich
Germany
This legal notice also applies to my LinkedIn profile.
Contact
Email: larissa@larissamoessmer.com
Phone: +49 176 32534385
Competent bar association and supervisory authority
Rechtsanwaltskammer München (Munich Bar Association)
Tal 33
80331 Munich
Germany
Professional title and professional regulations
Professional title: Rechtsanwältin (attorney-at-law), conferred in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The following professional regulations apply: Federal Lawyers' Act (Bundesrechtsanwaltsordnung, BRAO), Rules of Professional Practice for Lawyers (Berufsordnung für Rechtsanwälte, BORA), Specialist Lawyers' Regulations (Fachanwaltsordnung, FAO), Lawyers' Remuneration Act (Rechtsanwaltsvergütungsgesetz, RVG), the Code of Conduct for European Lawyers (CCBE) and the Act on the Activities of European Lawyers in Germany (EuRAG). These regulations are available in German on the website of the Federal Bar (Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer) at www.brak.de.
Professional liability insurance
Zurich Insurance Europe AG
Platz der Einheit 2
60327 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Territorial scope: worldwide, with special conditions for the USA and Canada.
Responsible for content pursuant to § 18 (2) MStV
Larissa Mößmer, address as above.
Consumer dispute resolution
I am neither willing nor obliged to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board. The competent body for the out-of-court settlement of disputes between lawyers and their clients is the Schlichtungsstelle der Rechtsanwaltschaft (Lawyers' Arbitration Board), Rauchstraße 26, 10787 Berlin, Germany, www.s-d-r.org.
Liability for links
This website contains links to external third-party websites over whose content I have no control. The respective provider or operator is always responsible for the content of linked pages. If I become aware of any legal infringements, I will remove such links without delay.
Copyright
The texts and images on this website are protected by copyright. The rights to the photographs belong to the respective photographers and rights holders. Any use beyond the limits of copyright law requires prior written consent.
Privacy Policy (Datenschutzerklärung)
1. Controller
The controller responsible for data processing on this website within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:
Larissa Mößmer, Kriemhildenstraße 7, 80639 Munich, Germany
Email: larissa@larissamoessmer.com
2. General information
I process personal data only to the extent necessary to operate this website and to respond to enquiries. This website does not use cookies, analytics or tracking tools, or social media plugins.
3. Hosting and server log files
This website is hosted by ALL-INKL.COM – Neue Medien Münnich, owner René Münnich, Hauptstraße 68, 02742 Friedersdorf, Germany, on servers located in Germany. When you visit the website, the hosting provider automatically collects information transmitted by your browser in server log files: IP address, date and time of access, the page accessed, referrer URL, browser and operating system used. Processing is based on Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR; my legitimate interest lies in the technically error-free and secure provision of the website. Log files are stored only for as long as necessary for these purposes and are then deleted. A data processing agreement pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR has been concluded with the hosting provider.
4. SSL/TLS encryption
For security reasons and to protect the transmission of content, this website uses SSL/TLS encryption. You can recognise an encrypted connection by the "https://" prefix in your browser's address bar and the lock symbol.
5. Contact by email
If you contact me by email, I process the data you provide (in particular your name, email address and the content of your message) in order to respond to your enquiry. The legal basis is Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR insofar as your enquiry relates to the conclusion of a contract, and otherwise Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. Your data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required for processing your enquiry, unless statutory retention obligations apply. Emails are stored on the servers of the hosting provider named above.
6. Fonts
This website uses the typefaces "Libre Caslon" and "Figtree". The fonts are hosted locally on the web server; no connection to servers of Google or other third parties is established when you visit the website.
7. External links
This website contains links to external services, such as LinkedIn, podcast platforms and the websites of professional associations. Data is only transmitted to these providers when you click such a link. The respective provider is responsible for data processing on the linked pages.
8. Your rights
You have the right of access (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16 GDPR), erasure (Art. 17 GDPR), restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR) and data portability (Art. 20 GDPR), as well as the right to object to processing based on Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (Art. 21 GDPR). To exercise these rights, simply contact me at the email address above.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The authority competent for me is the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision (Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht, BayLDA), Promenade 18, 91522 Ansbach, Germany.
9. Status
This privacy policy was last updated in October 2026.