by Michelle Rutter Friberg (NCIA’s Deputy Chief of Government Relations).
Nearly nine years ago, NCIA had fewer people lobbying for marijuana reform on Capitol Hill. Our industry has expanded and grown, and so has Washington’s government relations presence. However, this has also made it more difficult to coordinate and unify. There have been new trade organizations, and companies with different interests have created their own lobbying firms. It’s hard to keep up! We’ve heard the most common refrain from Capitol Hill staffers that a united voice is extremely helpful in getting legislation through the legislative process.
NCIA set out to create a working group of trade organizations involved in cannabis and worked closely with them on Capitol Hill. We sent out a united industry letter about SAFE Banking, and held a briefing for new members and staff at Capitol Hill.
Industry letter
NCIA was joined by the National Cannabis Roundtable, United States Cannabis Council(USCC), Minority Cannabis Business Associations (MCBA) and National Hispanic Cannabis Councils (NHCC) in a March 21 letter to Senator Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod brown (D-OH), and Ranking Member Tim Scott. They asked them to take immediate action to implement the bipartisan SAFE Banking Act after its reintroduction. The full text of this letter can be found here.
The American Bankers Association Washington Summit (ABA) was held just a few days later. Chairman Brown stated, “Prognosis for SAFE Banking is good… I am optimistic.” Ranking Member Scott spoke out about the importance to move the bill through regular order while noting that he does not necessarily support the legislation. Scott, who is running to be president in 2024 said that cannabis reform is something that the nation and Congress will have to grapple with and find an answer .”
It looks like the Senators have agreed with our letter!
Reception Briefing and Reception
One of the most important jobs of lobbyists is to educate members of Congress about our industry and how they can address them. It can be challenging, but there are 535 members of Congress, as well as a lot of staff turnover, not to mention elections every other year!
NCIA, NCR and USCC organized a briefing on Cannabis 101 for new members of Congress and staff. It was the first time that major trade organizations had come together to host such an event. Cory Gardner, a former Senator from Colorado (R), even told me how amazing the coalition was!
The briefing featured messages from each member of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus as well as panels on “Incremental Approaches & Complete Reform” and “Current Operational Landscape Pot & Challenges”, as well as a fireside conversation between Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA), and Sen. Gardner.
After the briefing, there was a reception in Rayburn Cafeteria. More than 100 Hill staffers were present and lobbyists joined them to talk about cannabis. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback, and many people wanted to know when the next event would take place. I reminded everyone that NCIA’s 11th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days would take place May 16-18. We look forward to visiting their offices to further educate them.
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The post Unified Cannabis Industry Voice in Washington was first published on The National Cannabis Industry Association.
