HHS Recommends Rescheduling: Now What? | 9.14.23 | Fireside Chats with NCIA’s Government Relations Team
NCIA’s #IndustryEssentials webinar series is our premier digital educational platform featuring a variety of interactive programs allowing us to provide you timely, engaging and essential education when you need it most. The Fireside Chat series of NCIA’s #IndustryEssentials webinars are an opportunity for industry professionals to hear from our government relations team and guests about the latest developments in federal policy LIVE.
For more than fifty years, the federal government has maintained that cannabis is a Schedule I drug, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical value.
That recently changed when the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that cannabis be placed in Schedule III, meaning that it has moderate to low abuse potential, a currently accepted medical use, and a low potential for psychological dependence.
There’s no doubt this move was an historic one– but what does it mean? What’s next? How will it impact your business? Join NCIA’s Aaron Smith and Michelle Rutter Friberg as they unpack all these questions surrounding cannabis rescheduling impact and more!
Fireside Chats with NCIA’s Government Relations Team: HHS Recommends Rescheduling; Now What?
NCIA’s #IndustryEssentials webinar series is our premier digital educational platform featuring a variety of interactive programs allowing us to provide you timely, engaging and essential education when you need it most. The Fireside Chat series of NCIA’s #IndustryEssentials webinars are an opportunity for industry professionals to hear from our government relations team and guests about the latest developments in federal policy LIVE.
For more than fifty years, the federal government has maintained that cannabis is a Schedule I drug, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical value.
That recently changed when the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that cannabis be placed in Schedule III, meaning that it has moderate to low abuse potential, a currently accepted medical use, and a low potential for psychological dependence.
There’s no doubt this move was an historic one– but what does it mean? What’s next? How will it impact your business?
Join NCIA’s Aaron Smith and Michelle Rutter Friberg as they unpack all these questions and more! Register today and don’t miss your chance to hear from two of the foremost government relations experts in the cannabis industry.
Panelists:
Aaron Smith
Chief Executive Officer
National Cannabis Industry Association
Michelle Rutter Friberg
Director of Government Relations
National Cannabis Industry Association
Video: NCIA Today – Thursday, August 25, 2022
NCIA Director of Communications Bethany Moore checks in with what’s going on across the country with the National Cannabis Industry Association’s membership, board, allies, and staff. This week Bethany is joined by NCIA CEO Aaron Smith to talk about the importance of having your voice heard on Capitol Hill at our upcoming 10th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days on September 13-14. Join us every other Thursday on Facebook for NCIA Today Live.
This is your chance to unite with other NCIA members to advocate for the issues most important to small cannabis businesses – from SAFE Banking to federal de-scheduling – and to share your personal stories with national lawmakers who need to hear from Main Street Cannabis businesses.
Watch this video to hear from NCIA’s CEO and Co-founder, Aaron Smith, about why you should attend this most impactful and crucial event next month. Not yet a member? Join today and then make your plans to join us in D.C.
Video: NCIA Today – Thursday, July 28, 2022
NCIA Director of Communications Bethany Moore checks in with what’s going on across the country with the National Cannabis Industry Association’s membership, board, allies, and staff. This week Bethany is joined by NCIA CEO Aaron Smith and Deputy Director of Government Relations Michelle Rutter Friberg. Join us every other Thursday on Facebook for NCIA Today Live.
Video: NCIA Today – Thursday, July 14, 2022
NCIA Director of Communications Bethany Moore checks in with what’s going on across the country with the National Cannabis Industry Association’s membership, board, allies, and staff. Join us every other Thursday on Facebook for NCIA Today Live.
Video: The Voice of Main Street Cannabis
Founded in 2010, NCIA is the oldest, largest, and most effective trade association serving the cannabis industry. Our membership consists of hundreds of small businesses and tens of thousands of cannabis professionals who know that we are stronger and more prosperous when we work together to lift up our entire industry.
As the only national advocate for small cannabis businesses, NCIA works every day to advance policy reforms favorable to the whole industry — not just the wealthiest few.
Video: NCIA Today – New Equity Scholarship Program, New NCIA Connect Member Benefit, And More!
Host Bethany Moore, NCIA’s Communications Manager and host of NCIA’s weekly Podcast ‘NCIA’s Cannabis Industry Voice‘ brings you an in-depth look at what is happening across the country in federal cannabis policy reform and with NCIA.
This episode is sponsored by NCIA Connect, the newest member benefit from NCIA.
From the top, Bethany discusses the #IndustryEssentials webinar series, highlighting the topics covered in the echelon of digital webinar content the NCIA team has been bringing you the last few months. Topics have included protecting your brand and retail success strategies to a Policy Council conversation titled “Just Say NO: Keep The DEA Out of Cannabis Research.” We’ve been joined by Representatives Lou Correa (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). Missed a live webinar? NCIA Members can access them exclusively on Connect now.
In June, our exclusive education and policy event series the cannabis caucus series to a cyber audience. The fun, online setting allowed our members across the country to come together over two weeks and check in on federal and local updates on policy and regulation updates that could affect them. NCIA launched the latest phase of our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion plan in June. This included making Tahir Johnson our Business Development and DEI Manager, and spearheading the DEI initiatives and committee. The first action taken has been creating the Social Equity Scholarship Program, which will award complimentary annual memberships to all social equity licensees and applicants.
NCIA Director of Marketing, Kaliko Castille, checks in with Bethany to discuss NCIA Connect, our newest membership benefit.
Finally, we end with a check-in with our CEO Aaron Smith.
VIDEO: June Policy Update With Aaron Smith, NCIA’s Executive Director
There’s been so much progress on cannabis industry issues so far this year. Hear more about the forward movement and victories we’ve seen in Congress on issues like the SAFE Banking Act, which has passed through the House of Representatives and is now in the Senate, and the House also voted to include protections for adult-use cannabis businesses in legal states through the Department of Justice budget vote process. Plus, Illinois becomes the 11th state to enact adult-use cannabis laws. NCIA’s Co-Founder and Executive Director Aaron Smith joins us to review this positive momentum.
VIDEO: Looking Back On NCIA’s 9th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days
On May 21-23, 2019, NCIA held it’s 9th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days in Washington, D.C. with more than 250 NCIA members who represent the cannabis industry all across the country. NCIA’s Executive Director Aaron Smith highlights some of issues we brought to the halls of Congress to educate House Members and Senators, as well as our brand-new VIP Day for PAC Leadership Circle Members.
“One way that I think really demonstrates the leadership that NCIA has here on Capitol Hill and the way that we’ve moved the dial in Congress is that between all of the events at Lobby Days, over 20 members of Congress showed up to speak, attend, and mingle with NCIA Members.” – Aaron Smith, NCIA Executive Director and Co-Founder
Thanks to everyone who joined us in our nation’s capital to bring the advocacy, education, and community to our federal legislators and lawmakers.
Mark your calendars for next year’s 10th Annual Lobby Days happening May 19-21, 2020!
(Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this has been moved to September 2022.)
Be sure to check out the full photo album from this year’s Lobby Days!
Video: Another Successful NCIA Lobby Days
NCIA’s Aaron Smith re-caps another successful Cannabis Industry Lobby Days! Watch this video to hear more about NCIA Members’ experiences and why you should plan to join us next year in D.C.
Are you an industry leader looking to invest in continued national advocacy for the industry but not yet a member of NCIA?
NCIA’s staff and professional lobbying consultants work year-round in our nation’s capital to build support for the cannabis business community and the policy changes needed for our industry to reach its full potential. That work has led us to the tipping point we are seeing today and it’s all been made possible by the financial support of our members.
Adding your name to the growing list of responsible businesses behind this effort will bring us even closer to reaching the day when the cannabis industry is treated fairly under federal law.
Already a member of NCIA but want to enhance your support for this vital work? Sponsor a quarterly Cannabis Caucus event in a city near you! All profits from event sponsorships support the efforts of our robust team in D.C.
Video: Cannabis Amendments Blocked in Appropriations – now what?
In a late-night vote on Thursday September 6th, the House Rules Committee blocked a full house vote on all cannabis-related appropriations amendments.
Fortunately, Congress passed a Continuing Budget Resolution which does keep the Rohrabacher medical marijuana protections in the budget until December 8th of this year, and more importantly for the long term, those protections currently included in the Senate’s Appropriations bill for the next fiscal year so Congress still has a chance to protect patients and state-legal cannabis businesses in conference committee.
What can you do? Watch the video to hear more from NCIA’s executive director Aaron Smith.
And log on to www.thecannabisindustry.org/SupportLeahy to contact your Senators!
Video Newsletter: #CannaBizSummit Recap and Seed to Sale Show Announcement
Did your team join us for NCIA’s 3rd annual Cannabis Business Summit & Expo in Oakland last month, where we got inspired, educated, and connected with more than 3,000 cannabis industry professionals?
In this month’s video newsletter, hear from NCIA’s Aaron Smith and Brooke Gilbert as we look back on the most exciting and successful event in NCIA’s history, and announce our upcoming Seed To Sale Show, happening in Denver, January 31-February 1, 2017.
Video Newsletter: We’re going to D.C. in May, and so should you…
One of our most impactful events of the year is just two months away, and NCIA wants you to be there with us in Washington, D.C.
In this month’s video newsletter, hear from NCIA executive director Aaron Smith, as well as NCIA members Steve DeAngelo of Harborside Health Center, Jaime Lewis of Mountain Medicine, Brian Caldwell of Triple C Collective, and Ean Seeb of Denver Relief, as they share their stories about joining NCIA on Capitol Hill for our annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days.
Register today for NCIA’s 6th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days, May 12-13.
To make the most out of the Lobby Days experience, register early so that we can begin the process of setting up meetings for you on the Hill. Members who register before April 30th will be entered to win admission and travel expenses for two at NCIA’s Cannabis Business Summit & Expo, including airfare and lodging.
Monthly Video Newsletter: September 2015 National Progress Report
Thank you for joining us for this September edition of NCIA’s monthly video newsletter.
Executive Director Aaron Smith shares the national progress report for the cannabis industry.
Not sure you’ll be making it to Vegas just yet? You can still support NCIA’s fifth anniversary by making a generous contribution to our annual fundraising drive today! All proceeds support our work defending the cannabis industry in Washington, D.C.
Recapping the Cannabis Business Summit & Expo 2015
by Brooke Gilbert, Director of Events & Education
The National Cannabis Industry Association’s second annual Cannabis Business Summit took place June 29-July 1 in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center. With attendance surging to nearly 2,000 this year, an expo hall filled with 100+ exhibitors, three full days of educational programming with over 135 speakers, and the bi-partisan involvement of four members of Congress and one Colorado state representative, the symposium represented the rapidly growing, maturing, and increasingly normalized cannabis industry developing here in the United States. Here we take a look, day-by-day, at what took place over the course of three days:
Day 1:
The Cannabis Business Summit & Expo kicked off with workshops, tours, and Canopy Boulder’s demo day. The eight workshops featured a wide range of topics, including:
Growing a National Brand
Complete Cultivation System Design Process
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design and Security System Compliance, and
Marijuana Risk Management: Navigating Your Client or Cannabis Company Through the Weeds.
Those who signed up for tours got a special treat visiting the Dixie Brands, CannLabs, or EvoLab facilities.
Canopy Boulder rounded out the afternoon by conducting an investor demo day, featuring ten companies that have been participating in Canopy Boulder’s Spring Class of their incubator program. Immediately following, a networking reception officially opened the greatly expanded exhibition hall. Check out this piece from Reason magazine which highlights some of the many sponsors NCIA had on the expo floor.
Day 2:
Day Two’s primary focus was on the mainstream political support we are increasingly seeing behind cannabis policy reform. The day began with a moving video Welcome Address by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), co-sponsor of the CARERS act. NCIA executive director’s opening keynote was preceded by welcoming remarks from Denver Congresswoman Diana Degette, who thanked the industry for being responsible business people and spoke for the need for continued bipartisan support from legislators.
After the morning sessions, attendees broke for lunch, where they had the chance to attend a speech by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), one of the industry’s most consistent and vocal champions in Congress. If you missed the luncheon, check out this great Bloomberg interview with Rep. Rohrabacher.
After lunch, in what has been called a historical first, U.S. Senator and Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul (R-KY) joined in the activities by holding a private fundraiser at the Summit. Sen. Paul met with NCIA members to learn more about the problems they face due to outdated federal law, offering an unprecedented opportunity for industry leaders to directly address these issues with a presidential candidate vying for our nation’s highest elected office.
The afternoon featured five different educational tracks including “Running Your CannaBusiness,” “Cultivation and Processing,” “Money Matters: Finance, Accounting, and Insurance,” “The Law, Policy, and Reform,” and “Emerging Topics.” Educational sessions throughout the afternoon ranged from “Analysis of Different Lighting Technology: HPS, Plasma, & LED” to “Defining the Limits of the IRS Authority over COGS: CCA 201504011 Explained”, “Boutique Cannabis: The Case for Small Business” and “Trademark Enforcement”.
The panel “National Outlook on Evolving State-Wide Regulations” finished up the programming for the day. The session featured an in-depth look at what types of policies and regulations are evolving nationwide, to give attendees a broad view of what’s happening across the United States, and what we can expect as more states come on line in the coming years.
The renowned Cannabis Carnival took place at the Fillmore Auditorium later in the evening, where 1600+ cannabis industry leaders & enthusiasts converged for one unforgettable night to celebrate progress and to support continued reform. Read the full recap here.
Day 3:
Day Three focused heavily on emerging topics in the cannabis industry and started out with the opening panel “Increasing Diversity within the Cannabis Industry.” It’s not a secret that minorities are not advancing as quickly in the cannabis industry as their white, male counterparts. This discussion took an in-depth look at the causes for this, what responsible business owners can do to create more diversity within their workplace, and why it is important to do so.
Breakout sessions for the day featured yet another diverse list of topics. This included “Preventing & Surviving an Armed Robbery,” “Managing the Operations of an Edibles Kitchen,” “To Spray or Not to Spray, That is the Question,” and “Sungrown Cannabis Cultivation – The Movement Towards Outdoor.”
Closing out the conference were two fireside chats, both focusing on different avenues of sustainability in the cannabis industry: “Building Customer Loyalty” and “The Greener Way – Innovative Steps Towards a Sustainable Industry.”
We cannot thank all of our speakers and sponsors enough for participating, and contributing to another successful annual summit. Let’s keep the energy, growth, and education going – register for our upcoming Fall Regional Cannabis Business Summit taking place in New York City, September 21-23.
NCIA Member Profile: CBCB – Cannabis Buyers’ Club Berkeley
NCIA recently had an opportunity to speak with Aundre Speciale, director of CBCB, a locally-licensed medical cannabis dispensary in Berkeley, California. CBCB is a patient-centered collective with limited membership, bringing patients access to medicine in conjunction with a natural perspective of wellness, and they offer educational seminars, support groups, and a variety of services.
Aundre Speciale of CBCB sits with the late Jack Herer
Cannabis Industry Sector:
Medical Cannabis Provider
Sustaining NCIA Member Since:
2014
How do you uniquely serve the cannabis industry?
My background is a mix of activism, politics, and industry. I have worked for cannabis reform for 25 years as an activist and lobbyist, gaining civil disobedience experience as well as political allies. Through my activism I have been able to hear directly from patients what their needs are, and I now currently operate several dispensaries throughout the state.
My model for dispensing medical cannabis has included opening community centers that provide free services to patients and the local community, working closely with community service providers and city government to create enlightened cannabis policy, and funding major cannabis research and reform projects. I currently share my operational experience by sitting on the boards of a number of licensed dispensaries throughout California. I have been inspired by and learned from the compassionate models of people like Jack Herer, Eddy Lepp, Dennis Perron, Val and Mike Corral with WAMM, Debbie Goldsberry and Don Duncan with Berkeley Patients Group (BPG), and many more.
Why should patients looking for medical cannabis services go to Cannabis Buyers’ Club Berkeley (CBCB)?
CBCB was started in 1996 by patients with a desire to help other patients. It continues in the same spirit. We have two employees who have worked at the collective for more than 15 years, and we have patients who have been with the collective since its beginning. I became director in 2007.
CBCB’s style is uniquely Berkeley, as are its compassionate patient-centered programs. We offer many support groups, educational seminars, wellness programs, and a compassion program that provides free medicine for patients, including children with epilepsy, chemo patients, veterans, and end-of-life patients. Many programs and services are run by patient volunteers, “patients helping patients.” CBCB believes in community responsibility and not only funds and supports cannabis research, campaigns, and advocacy, but also supports community events, projects, and organizations. Our patient volunteers walk the neighborhood daily picking up all trash, while an extra CBCB security guard patrols the neighborhood greeting neighbors. Our employees are compassionate and cannabis-educated and are happy to spend as much time as patients need to assist them in finding the medicine that works best. CBCB has an unusually large range of products to serve the individual needs of our patients. We offer free fruit, coffee, and tea, and hugs are handed out liberally. Our official motto is ‘choose love.’
Tell us about your past involvement in the California medical marijuana community. Where do you see the laws and culture heading in California in the future?
Aundre Speciale stands next to the Hemp Bus, 1991
My passion for cannabis advocacy began in 1989 at the height of the “just say no” era when my neighbor, Jack Herer, asked me to join him on the Hemp Bus, touring California and the country promoting hemp for fuel, food, fiber, fun, and medicine. Thus began my life-long love for and dedication to cannabis reform. I have been involved in countless cannabis campaigns and projects, including the federal hemp foods ban protests, and I was key organizer on behalf of defendants in the first federal trials of medical cannabis providers. I’m a founding member of Americans for Safe Access, where I developed its popular peer counseling program, gathered data for lawsuits protecting and expanding patientsʼ rights, and provided best-practices training for dispensary operators. I served on the board of the Marijuana Policy Project for three years, holding the vice chair position. I have been an early dispensary operator, opening dispensaries and working with several cities to craft medical cannabis regulations, including San Francisco, Sacramento, Venice Beach, Berkeley, South Lake Tahoe, and Oakland.
California has had a thriving cannabis culture for generations, and it is hard to get everyone to all agree what direction cannabis regulations should go. But I see California, along with the rest of the country and world, having access to adult-use cannabis, as well as hemp products, in the very near future. People are looking for safer, more natural products, from their medicine to their paints, and cannabis is the answer. Cannabis is the “new” in thing.
Why did you get involved in NCIA?
I love NCIA. I know NCIA’s executive director Aaron Smith from the amazing work he did with the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), and he has a long record of successful campaigns. With NCIA, he has proven to be a strong, effective leader who has assembled an incredible staff. I appreciate the caliber and experience of NCIA speakers and members, truly the best in the industry, with whom I can truly learn and exchange ideas about timely and relevant industry information.
If you are a member of NCIA and would like to contribute to the NCIA blog, please contact Development Officer Bethany Moore by emailing bethany@thecannabisindustry.org.
Android Jones joins the Cannabis Revolution!
As we approach Vive la Révolution!, our fourth anniversary banquet being held next month, we are thrilled to announce that a very special guest will be joining us for the evening!
Android Jones, world renowned “trans-dimensional artist” specializing in digital mediums, will be providing otherworldly visuals to accompany the music of Erothyme. He will be creating an array of beautiful digital landscapes in the moment to compliment the musical journey while incorporating our message to inspire attendees. Keep reading to learn more about his biography, his massive and varied catalog of work, and details on a very special surprise from Android Jones to commemorate the evening!
If you are unfamiliar with Android Jones’s work, start your journey down the digital rabbit hole by watching this video of his very moving collaboration with the Oceanic Preservation Society, projected onto the United Nations Headquarters in New York City during the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit last month.
Android Jones is at the forefront of the trans-dimensional art movement. His body of work aims to emphasize creativity as the foundation of consciousness and an agent of social change. Moving beyond the traditional organic vegetable and animal technologies of pencils, ink, and brushes, Android develops latent possibilities within software programs such as Painter, Photoshop, ZBrush, and Alchemy, discovering new combinations and uses for tools that exceed the original intentions of their programmers.
Viewing the digital domain as a medium of energy and light capable of expanding the nature of reality, Android’s art encourages others to explore the potential interfaces of mind and machine in this time of accelerating change and increasing novelty.
Android Jones will be performing live during the musical portion of our program in addition to creating a unique piece of art throughout the evening to commemorate this special occasion. View highlights from one of his entirely unique live visual performances below at the Sydney Opera House as part of the grand finale of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra event in 2011.
Trust us, you don’t want to miss out on celebrating this incredible year of growth and progress for the cannabis industry while helping to raise funds for our only national trade association. Vive la Révolution! is being held at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Admission includes a three-course plated dinner, a hosted bar, and a few special commemorative gifts from NCIA and our sponsors, in addition to this enchanting entertainment.
Vive la Révolution! – NCIA’s Anniversary Banquet
Celebrating Four Years of Advocacy, Education & Community
Sponsorships still available for this event but are quickly selling out! Contact us for more information now at events@thecannabisindustry.org!
Members who commemorate our anniversary with a $700 gift to NCIA will be listed as “Friends of the Industry” in our event program given to all banquet attendees and are eligible for a $100 discount on up to two tickets each. Contact us at events@thecannabisindustry.org or (888) 683-5650 to make a contribution that will help us start 2015 off in the best position possible as we work on your behalf. The program listing is only available to current NCIA members. Huge thanks to all of our sponsors listed below who are helping make this event and our next year of success possible!
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Host Sponsor
Friends of the Industry
4-Front Ventures
American Cannabis Enterprises
Americann
Auntie Dolores
Berkeley Patients Group
Blum Oakland
California Growers Guild
Cannabismedecina.org
Cassandra, Queen Hecuba of Troy
CBCB
Cobalt LLP
CW Analytical Laboratories
Dixie Elixirs & Edibles
Freedom Enterprises
Gardening Unlimited
Goodwin Proctor LLP
Greenbridge Corporate Counsel
Harborside Health Center
Henry G. Wykowski & Associates
Illinois Cannabis Industry Association
Island Breeze Systems
MANTIS Ad Network
MedCanna Consulting
Medicine Man Technologies
Robert Raich, Attorney at Law
Rocky Mountain Business Products
Steep Hill Halent Labs
Venice Cookie Company
“In reality, change happens one person at a time on an individual basis. Art has the power to inspire change by making the invisible visible. We understand it takes more than a light show to change the world, but I believe we each have the power to change the version of ourselves and how we choose to interact with the world. Art can illuminate and reflect the truth of our actions.” — Android Jones
Join the Marijuana-Infused Product & Extraction Revolution!
The field of cannabis extraction and marijuana-infused products has quickly emerged as one of the fastest-growing and most consistently innovative sectors of the cannabis industry. It’s also become one of the most scrutinized and highly regulated. NCIA wants to help you capitalize on the infused product revolution while staying committed to the best, most responsible practices and highest quality products.
That’s why we’re hosting our first-ever Infused Product & Extraction Symposium at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center in Denver, CO, from October 27 to October 29. There will be no better opportunity for industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and newcomers alike to learn about best practices and cutting-edge technologies in this booming field.
Haven’t gotten your tickets yet? Lucky for you, we’ve compiled this short summary of who should attend and why to help make your decision a little easier!
Who Should Attend?
Infused product manufacturers
Extraction scientists and business pros
Investors & entrepreneurs
Experienced dispensary owners & operators
Attorneys & legal experts
Industry consultants
Policymakers and regulators
Why Should You Attend?
Gain insight into the rule-making process around infused products regulations from industry leaders who are directly involved.
Julie will be speaking on the “Intellectual Property, Labeling, & Branding” panel on Tuesday, October 28 from 1:00-1:45 p.m.
Receive unparalleled access to thought leaders with advice on maintaining and establishing a legitimate business within the infused products & extraction sector.
You can register for a ServSafe® Food Handler workshop taking place on Wednesday, October 29 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m when you register for the symposium.
Take a guided tour of two of Colorado’s premier infused product & extraction manufacturing facilities.
We are offering tours of both Dixie Elixirs and Auntie Dolores state-of-the-art production facilities located in Denver on Wednesday, October 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:15 to 4:15 p.m.
The morning tour is already sold-out so register now to reserve your spot!
You don’t need anymore convincing, do you? Well, just in case, we are happy to tell you that all NCIA members get a $150 discount on registration! Not a member of NCIA yet? Don’t worry! You can join today starting at the low cost of $100 a month or $1000 a year. Don’t miss this opportunity to join the first national event dedicated to infused products, while supporting the growth of a legitimate cannabis industry on the national level.
Register today for this great opportunity to connect with fellow industry leaders while learning about best practices for operating a responsible and successful infused product or cannabis extraction business.
Start Making Sense – A Cannabis Industry Fundraiser for SSDP
The National Cannabis Industry Association is proud to be hosting “Start Making Sense,” a cannabis industry fundraiser for Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) on Tuesday, September 9 at the NCIA/Vicente Sederberg offices in Denver.
SSDP, the leading student-led drug policy reform organization in the country, is currently engaged in extensive voter education and get-out-the-vote efforts in Florida to support the passage of Amendment 2. This important voter initiative, if passed, would legalize and establish a comprehensive medical marijuana program for the first time in a southern state. We at NCIA are proud to support those efforts and all of the other great work of SSDP, so we hope our members and supporters will join us for this very special evening of music, food, and drinks while supporting sensible reform.
We wanted to throw this event not only to support our friends at SSDP but also to show our appreciation for our dedicated Colorado members who have been helping lead this burgeoning industry and supporting NCIA’s phenomenal growth over the last few years. Colorado has been a focal point for reform and helped set the example for responsible business practices. Now we invite our Colorado members to help this industry grow in an state where support is still very much needed.
We will also be hosting a silent auction throughout the night with multiple signed art prints from Black Ink, a Philadelphia-based art and design company founded by former SSDP members. They have been longtime supporters of SSDP, donating their design skills over the years to SSDP’s live-music-based program, the AMPLIFY Project. Their ongoing collaboration, the “Prints Not Prisons” Art Drive, has raised hundreds of dollars for sensible reform throughout the years. (You can view a full catalog of their work here.) Black Ink’s surrealistic style has been a huge hit among live music fans and is sure to gain some new fans during our event.
For musical entertainment we will be screening the landmark concert film “Stop Making Sense” by the Talking Heads. The movie will be projected onto the front side of our office building (better known as the Cannabis Cottage), so attendees can enjoy the last few days of summer outside before Colorado begins its annual cool-down. The inside of the Cannabis Cottage will be transformed into several themed networking rooms, each featuring different music and decorations to indulge your varied musical taste buds.
We aren’t skimping when it comes to food either! NCIA staff will be cooking up pork shoulder and beef brisket all day long (as well as a veggie option) so no one leaves with an empty stomach. In addition, a selection of fine Colorado microbrews will be on tap, along with a local wine selection and other non-alcoholic refreshments.
We hope you’re excited to join us for an evening supporting sensible reform while enjoying each others’ company and timeless music. Everything will be provided, but we are strongly urging all attendees to donate the suggested $40 for admission. Every dollar you contribute will have an exponential effect and impact on the spread of sensible reform. Please REGISTER TODAY and we’ll see you on Tuesday!
A Message from the Executive Director
Dear friend:
2013 has been a watershed year for the legal cannabis industry, with unprecedented momentum toward replacing criminal marijuana markets with regulated storefronts — from new medical cannabis states like Illinois and Massachusetts to the establishment of adult-use markets in Colorado and Washington. The industry is truly growing up, and NCIA’s membership has grown more than three fold over the last year.
Thanks to you and almost 400 other responsible cannabis professionals that make up NCIA’s network, we’ve been able to significantly increase the reach of our message in Washington, DC and in the media. We’ve also greatly expanded our educational programming within the industry to arm cannabis entrepreneurs with the latest information and to instill the core values of responsibility, professionalism, and civic engagement throughout the cannabis business community.
I’m sure you’ve had an exceedingly busy year — I know the last 12 months have been the most active of my professional life — but as the year comes to a close, I hope you get the opportunity to enjoy time with your friends and family, and reflect on just how fortunate we are to be doing this work at this time in history. The opportunity to create a new American industry only comes around once in a lifetime. It’s truly incredible to be blazing on into this undiscovered territory with you.
Next year will bring about even more progress for the cannabis industry and its trade association. I look forward to continuing our mutual work of creating a future when our industry is afforded the freedom and equality that it justly deserves.
All of us at NCIA are wishing you a great winter holiday and a prosperous New Year!
Sincerely,
Aaron Smith
Executive Director
Judiciary Committee Hearing Underscores Consensus: New Marijuana Industry Requires Access to Banking
Senators, Deputy Attorney General Cole, and witnesses all call for swift action to resolve banking crisis faced by legal marijuana businesses
Washington, D.C. – Today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing reinforced the growing consensus among legal marijuana regulators, law enforcement officials, and cannabis business professionals that allowing access to banking services is now the most pressing obstacle to the success of the regulated marijuana industry realizing its potential to effectively control marijuana sales in the states where it is legal for medical or adult use and ensuring the eight federal enforcement priorities outlined in last month’s Department of Justice memo can be upheld.
Witnesses Deputy U.S. Attorney James Cole, King County Sheriff John Urquhart, and Colorado Governor’s Chief Legal Counsel Jack Finlaw affirmed the concerns of Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) , and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) that federal regulators’ actions to block state-legal marijuana business access to simple banking and financial services will inevitably undermine the viability of state-legal marijuana industries. Furthermore, Cole acknowledged that in states where marijuana has been decriminalized or made legal, implementing a strictly regulated system in which marijuana is sold is the only way to prevent criminal activity such as diversion to youth and across state lines and empowerment of criminals and cartels.
“We need to address the [banking situation] and we are working on it,” stated Deputy Attorney General James Cole who indicated the Department of Justice is conferring with the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Division to resolve the issue. Statement from Aaron Smith, NCIA Executive Director:
“The Department of Justice is finally taking seriously the dangers that a lack of access to simple banking services poses to consumers, employees and business owners. We are encouraged that the growing consensus among essentially all stakeholders is that banking access must be available to legal businesses. It portends a quick reform to this dangerous and unnecessary situation.”
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The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) is the only national trade association working to advance the interests of cannabis-related businesses in the US. NCIA promotes the growth of a responsible and legitimate cannabis industry and works for a favorable social, economic and legal environment for that industry in the United States.
National Cannabis Industry Association Statement on DOJ Response to CO, WA Marijuana Laws
The National Cannabis Industry Association welcomes apparent shift in Department of Justice intent regarding marijuana enforcement
Washington, DC – In a memo issued to U.S. Attorneys today, Deputy Attorney General James Cole reinforced guidance indicating that the Department of Justice will not interfere with implementation of adult-use marijuana laws in Colorado and Washington.
Statement from Aaron Smith, Executive Director of the National Cannabis Industry Association:
“We are encouraged by today’s response from the Obama administration. At the heart of the guidance is a willingness to respect the voters who have decided a regulated marijuana market is preferable to a criminal market in their states. Cannabis-related businesses in these states are creating thousands of jobs and generating tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue. These are clear public benefits.
Now is not the time to push marijuana sales back under ground. The new voter-approved, regulated systems in Colorado and Washington should be allowed to proceed. We have full confidence the businesses in these states will comply with any requirements put forth by the Department of Justice. That is what they do. They comply with rules and provide a service to their customers and their communities. We are pleased to see the Obama administration will not cause harm to citizens and states by shutting these businesses down, and hope this will lead to an expansion of sensible policies related to marijuana such as allowing these businesses access to banking and taxing them at a fair rate.”
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The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) is the only national trade association working to advance the interests of cannabis-related businesses in the US. NCIA promotes the growth of a responsible and legitimate cannabis industry and works for a favorable social, economic and legal environment for that industry in the United States.
Medical Cannabis Businesswomen Call on President Obama to Freeze Enforcement Actions While Reviewing Administration’s Medical Marijuana Policy
Washington, DC — The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), in conjunction with the Women’s CannaBusiness Network, a project it launched earlier this year, today called on President Obama to cease enforcement actions against state-legal medical cannabis providers while the administration reviews its policies to determine whether they are in the public interest. Respected industry businesswomen defended their work and powerfully expressed their frustration with the administration’s crackdown.
“The women here today are compassionate and courageous leaders,” said Jill Lamoureaux , owner of Colorado Dispensary Services. “They are pioneers in alternative medicine. They are job creators and tax revenue generators. They are hear to bring awareness to the Obama administration’s reversal on medical marijuana policy and to ask that the Justice Department immediately stop shutting down state-legal businesses that are serving patients, creating jobs and generating tax revenues.”
Jen Reynolds , a mother of four who will lose her job on Monday because of the actions of the U.S. attorney in Colorado, urged the President to think about the people whom are being affected.
“This is not about ‘marijuana dealers,'” Reynolds said. “This is about medical cannabis patients having a safe and regulated environment in which to purchase their medicine. It is about employees like me, who had the amazing opportunity to help patients alleviate their suffering, while earning a living wage. My center should have been a model for others to follow, not a target for federal action.”
NCIA also released a report entitled, “The Colorado Cannabis Industry: A Tale of Ten Cities,” which details the sales and tax revenues generated by medical marijuana centers in ten Colorado cities.
“The ten cities included in the report alone generated close to $10 million in state and local sales taxes in 2011,” explained Aaron Smith , NCIA executive director. “This money is being used to improve government services in these areas, which is one more benefit of a regulated medical cannabis industry.”
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former SSDP members. They have been longtime supporters of SSDP, donating their design skills over the years to SSDP’s live-music-based program, the 
