Since Inauguration Day, all of us in the cannabis world have been anxiously awaiting to hear some federal news on our nascent, fragile industry. Are we going to be shut down? Are we all going to jail? These are some of the questions I get asked by canna-business owners almost daily.
This Thursday, lawmakers gathered in our nation’s capitol to form a new Cannabis Caucus. This Cannabis Caucus was formed by a group of four state representatives who want to ensure cannabis is taken seriously as an industry and that state’s rights are protected.
The founding members of this historic Cannabis Caucus are: Jared Polis, democrat out of Colorado; Don Young, republican out of Alaska; Dana Rohrabacher, republican out of California; and Earl Blumenauer, democrat out of Oregon.
All four representatives hail from states that have voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. The bipartisan alliance sends a message to the federal government that this is not a party issue; this is an issue that affects all Americans, despite their political affiliations.
During a press conference, the four founders of the Cannabis Caucus emphasized that legalization provides money for schools, creates job, and boosts the economy while taking the power away from cartels.
Dana Rohrabacher of California expressed in the press conference that he believes this is a matter of supporting the individual freedoms supported by the U.S. Constitution. Rohrabacher explains, “The Founding Fathers did not want the federal government to interfere in people’s personal freedoms.”
Jared Polis of Colorado is concerned that other states interested in marijuana won’t follow the legalization model adopted by Colorado and Washington out of fear of the current Administration, he said in the press conference that states need to be “free from federal bullying and federal interference.”
Don Young of Alaska, a self-described conservative republican, involved himself in this Cannabis Caucus because he believes the federal government should stay out of this issue. “You have to be for states’ rights or against states’ rights,” Young said. The concern for his state lies in the industry’s banking issues — legal cannabis business are getting their bank accounts closed left and right because of the federal discrepancy.
Rohrabacher also mentioned during the press conference that this issue is critical to some American’s health and well-being, the challenge has always been “to touch people’s hearts as well as their heads.”
While this caucus is just the start, the founding members are confident that together they can make change happen. Rohrabacher assured, “People are suffering. The law is wrong. We have a caucus together, a bipartisan caucus. We’re going to change that situation.”
