Below is an Op-Ed by Kaitlin Domangue. She has a Workweek site called the Green Paper Newsletter. I found this one to be important. Mainly because there is a perception that the Republicans are the biggest hurdle to federal legalization, the Biden-Harris ticket campaigned on cannabis legislation and criminal justice reform. Once cannabis is legalized federally, those incarcerated on cannabis convictions will have a solid case to be released. In 39 states, people are legally selling and using cannabis. All 39 states have jails hosting people who did the same thing.
The following was published on August 30, 2022
At this point, y’all, I’m starting to wonder if the federal government isn’t intentionally setting the cannabis industry up for failure for their gain.
I don’t want to sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist (or state the obvious for some of you) – but this doesn’t make any sense.
The Biden Administration said cannabis industry investments “could reflect the questionable judgment and an unwillingness to comply with laws, rules, and regulations.”
I’m sorry… could reflect questionable judgment? An unwillingness to comply with laws, rules, and regulations
Conducting elections and passing unique laws applying to their own jurisdiction is a power given to all states. The Tenth Amendment reserves certain powers for the states, including elections.
This is usually not an issue. It’s a Constitutional right that’s gone unnoticed for over 200 years. But, in the midst of nationwide cannabis reform, federal and state laws have never clashed as loudly as they do in our space.
And as we know, it presents several problems for state-legal operators to go without federal reform.
(Perhaps if federal lawmakers on both sides of the aisle could stop fighting for 25 seconds and pass some legislation – states wouldn’t need to create their own laws and have “illegal” operations for people to invest in.)
They’re predicted to collect an estimated $5 billion in federal taxes from cannabis businesses over the next decade – thanks to 280E essentially doubling the tax rate for state-legal operations.
But when it benefits them, cannabis is unruly, morally corrupt, and unworthy of even being invested in by White House staffers.
Never mind the fact that sales from state-legal cannabis operations are generating millions of dollars for local communities, funneling the money into schools, veterans programs, and substance abuse services that are wildly underfunded by the federal government.
It’s being “suggested” that White House applicants don’t invest in cannabis operations because their judgment and unwillingness to follow the law could be questioned.
If the Biden Administration feels this way about applicants simply investing in state-legal operations, I think it’s abundantly clear why there hasn’t been criminal justice reform for federal cannabis offenders.
Period. Point blank. They don’t even trust their staffers can exercise good judgment and invest in cannabis at the same time, much less believe people convicted of cannabis crimes are worthy of a clean slate.
This is the same Administration that requires its interns to disclose past cannabis use. Yes, pastcannabis use. Like, using it one time. Even in a legal state. Dozens of staffers were asked to resign, were suspended, or placed on remote work because of their prior cannabis use.
These are the stories to remember when we question why nothing is being done at the federal level. The federal government benefits too much by keeping it illegal. But states are continuing to act on their own in the absence of federal action.
The federal government is questioning someone’s judgment or ability to follow the law because state-legal cannabis investments completely expose how they feel about people associated with cannabis.
It’s, for this reason, I don’t anticipate federal cannabis legalization during President Biden’s term.
Michigan has built a viable cannabis industry in under five years. Thirty-nine states have legal, medical status on the books. A large majority of Americans support legal cannabis, and a majority of states already have it. Yet the federal government still refuses to move forward. It is time to push our federally elected officials to get them on the record. It is time to make both sides of the aisle do what we want as Americans.
Cannabis has been viewed for a long time as an economic driver. The economic impact was one of the pillars of the legalization movement. As an emerging market, job creation is a huge selling point, and as more states join the ranks of some form of legalization, finding enough workers is becoming a concern for … Cannabis is an Employment Driver
The following is a summary of an article by Bart Schaneman published by MJ Biz. A rivalry has emerged between the two most significant trade associations in the cannabis industry. On one side, the legacy group, the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), counts more than 1,000 members after losing roughly 200 since the … Rivals seek to gain control of Cannabis Organizations
Below is an Op-Ed by Kaitlin Domangue. She has a Workweek site called the Green Paper Newsletter. I found this one to be important. Mainly because there is a perception that the Republicans are the biggest hurdle to federal legalization, the Biden-Harris ticket campaigned on cannabis legislation and criminal justice reform. Once cannabis is legalized … Op-Ed: Biden Admin “Suggests” White House Applicants not Invest in Cannabis
