Greetings from the membership team! With over 1,400 member businesses, NCIA has never been more united! As we go “back to school” this month, we wanted to remind you of all of the member benefit “tools” available to you as part of your membership at any level.
Data Analytics – Stay current with consumer trends and data by accessing BDS Analytics’ GreenEdge data platform. Get in-depth industry market data on cannabis product sales, including product categories and price points.
Free Networking Events – Free admission to our national Quarterly Cannabis Caucus event series will educate, connect, and inspire you and your team, with state and federal policy briefings and meaningful networking opportunities with industry leaders. We’ll be in 8 cities in October, and would love to see you at one!
Share Your Expertise – Contribute to the NCIA blog with a topic of your expertise or be a guest on NCIA’s weekly podcast. Both segments feature on social media and in our regularly monthly newsletter. Member blog posts are educational in nature and directed toward an audience of cannabis business professionals. To get started, email Bethany Moore, NCIA Communications and Projects Manager.
Sponsor an NCIA event –If you’re interested in promoting your business at one of NCIA’s events, please email sponsorships@thecannabisindustry.org for available opportunities.
Be an Expert or Ask An Expert (ECN)– Participate in NCIA’s Expert Calling Network (ECN) where novice industry business owners can turn for compensated advice.
Submit Company News or a Press Release (Member News) – Share your news with the NCIA community by submitting a press release or news story to be posted on NCIA’s Member News webpage. Simply complete a submission form!
Join a NCIA Committee – NCIA’s committees’ work advances the industry in a variety of ways. Applications to be appointed to the 2018-2019 committee term will be accepted in the spring. Committee terms are one year in length and begin in conjunction with the annual Cannabis Business Summit.
NCIA’s membership team is working hard every day to bring new membership benefits to your business. We are excited to share with you what we have planned for the future as we roll out new programs and benefits. Thank you to all of our members for building a responsible and legitimate cannabis industry!
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!
I’m calling today to ask for your Senator’s support of the Leahy amendment to the appropriations bill. This amendment protects medical cannabis businesses and patients in states where it’s legal. It does this by barring the Department of Justice from using its funds to interfere with state legal medical cannabis programs.
This provision has been included in federal law since 2014, and will continue to be in effect until December 8th, 2017 when the current funding bill runs out.
46 states have legalized some form of cannabis. Additionally, over 90% of individuals believe medical cannabis should be legalized and 73% do not support federal law enforcement actions that undermine state marijuana laws.
The cannabis industry supports tens of thousands of jobs, tens of millions in tax revenue, and billions in economic activity in the United States.
Thanks for taking my call, I appreciate you listening to my concerns.
The Future of Medical Cannabis Reform – Now What?
by Michelle Rutter, NCIA Government Relations Manager
Late in the evening of September 6th, the House Rules Committee held a hearing to discuss amendments to the upcoming appropriations bill that will fund the federal government for the upcoming fiscal year. The Rules Committee is used by House leadership to maintain control over the House floor, and is heavily stacked in favor of the majority party (by a 2:1 ratio).
Unfortunately, the committee decided not to allow the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment (formerly the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment) to move forward for a vote on the Floor. Despite the fact that 46 states have legalized some form of cannabis, 90% of the public supports medical marijuana, and over 70% think the federal government should not interfere with state marijuana reforms, the Rules Committee singlehandedly decided to strip out the language protecting states’ medical marijuana laws that have been in law since 2014.
Although this came as no surprise, it is still disappointing. So, what’s next going forward? There are a couple of possible scenarios.
Scenario 1: In July, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed an amendment offered by Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) by a voice vote. The Leahy amendment is identical to the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment and would protect medical cannabis businesses and patients for another year. If this legislation passes the Senate, the opportunity still exists for Congress to reconcile the differences and agree to maintain the current protections in medical cannabis states.
Scenario 2: There are rumors circulating that Congress will pass a funding bill for Hurricane Harvey relief and that this bill would include a debt ceiling increase and continue funding the federal government through mid-December. If this happens, the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment will continue to protect medical cannabis patients and businesses until a new appropriations bill is passed.
Scenario 3: Neither the House or the Senate agree to maintaining this provision, and Congressional protections for states’ medical cannabis laws disappear in the short term. Although this is the worst scenario of the three listed here, the opportunity still exists for Congress to re-insert this provision during next year’s budget negotiations.
NCIA will continue to advocate and communicate with Members of Congress on the behalf of the cannabis industry. While the House Rules Committee has made a disappointing decision, there is still hope that the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer/Leahy amendments will be included in federal law for yet another year. As we continue to represent our member-businesses, we will be vigilant in our efforts to bring about the best possible positive outcome in the current political climate.
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