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!
FDA Rulemaking on Hemp/CBD – Hurry Up And Wait?
by Andrew Kline, NCIA’s Director of Public Policy
In April of 2019, the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) formed a coalition of more than 100 CBD/Hemp entrepreneurs, scientists, medical doctors, and FDA lawyers to inform and influence FDA rulemaking on cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds. Over the past two months, coalition members worked tirelessly to draft public comments. Our goal was to answer all of the questions posed by FDA (including scientific questions), to be helpful to FDA by informing their rule-making process, and to influence the direction of their rule-making.
NCIA Files Public Comment And Testimony
On May 30, 2019, we filed 60 pages of formal comments which can be found here. I’m really grateful for the coalition’s collaborative work and quite proud of our final product. I’m also extremely grateful to the authors, including Alena Rodriguez of RM3 Labs, Dr. Paul Murchowski of Dr. Pauls, Khurshid Khoja of Greenbridge Corporate Counsel, Vanessa Marquez and Chris Elawar of CBD Care Garden, Jonathan Havens from Saul Ewing, Andrew Livingston from VS Strategies, and many others who devoted time to produce a great submission.
On May 31, I testified before the FDA and listened intently as dozens of others spoke. My takeaways were that most of the industry echoed our sentiment – that CBD is generally safe, but that safety issues do arise with adulterated products and with irresponsible manufacturing and marketing practices. I spoke about the need for consensus-driven industry standards, to include marketing and labeling practices, and for mandated lab testing. These practices will go a long way toward making certain that the industry is safe for consumers.
Concerns And Misinformation
I am genuinely concerned that there is currently great confusion in the market. People seem to think that CBD is federally legal as a result of passage of the Farm Bill of 2019. But, that is only partially true. While CBD was de-scheduled, the FDA still retains the authority to regulate the industry as a result of their prior approval of a prescription drug for epilepsy, Epidiolex. In the absence of clear regulatory guidance, people are making health claims that violate federal law. And banks and payment processors are shutting off accounts for CBD businesses because they are having difficulty assessing whether a particular business is operating lawfully.
We hope that FDA will act with deliberate speed in drafting regulations for the industry. If FDA takes its time in crafting regulations, there is danger that many CBD companies will shudder because of a lack of banking and payment processing. And we will inevitably lose market share to Canada and other international players. As always, NCIA stands ready to help.
Learning objectives for the panel include, (1) what the FDA was interested in learning about and why, (2) understanding how our industry coalition responded to the FDA’s scientific questions, (3) predictions for how the FDA will regulate CBD/Hemp and what it might mean for cannabis regulation in the future. Panelists will include members of the coalition who drafted our public comments to FDA.
In the coming weeks, NCIA will be releasing some new policy papers via NCIA’s Policy Council – the think tank for the state-legal cannabis industry. As always, if you’re interested in joining the Policy Council or have any thoughts about how we can propel this industry, please reach out me at andrew@thecannabisindustry.org.
NCIA’s 9th Annual Lobby Days – Strength in Numbers, Power in Progress
Just two short weeks ago, NCIA hosted our 9th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days. This impactful event brought over 250 NCIA members to our nation’s capital to advocate and lobby on important issues facing our industry like access to financial services, amending IRC Section 280E, and addressing social equity.
Over the course of 48 hours, attendees met with nearly 300 congressional offices to share their stories and experiences, and dropped off informational materials to 200 offices that we did not schedule meetings with. In addition to these meetings, we had two briefings, held a PAC fundraiser, and hosted our first-ever VIP Day for members of our Leadership Circle. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from this important event:
To kick off our first-ever VIP Day, we held a briefing at the House of Representatives entitled “SAFE Banking: Where We Are, and Where We’re Going,” where Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), the lead sponsor of HR 1595, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, kicked off the day. On the panel was Tanner Daniel of the American Bankers Association, Becky Dansky of SARBA, and Gail Rand of ForwardGro, while attendees included NCIA members, congressional staff, and members of the press.
Following the briefing on banking, VIP Day attendees were shuttled to a luncheon featuring Reps. Joe Neguse (D-CO), Katie Porter (D-CA), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), and Steven Horsford (D-NV). All of these members of Congress are freshman who support cannabis reform, and talked about the importance of advocacy and the use of political action committees like the NCIA-PAC that they rely on.
After lunch, VIP Day attendees were shuttled back to Capitol Hill, where teams met personally with members of Congress, committees of jurisdiction, and congressional leadership.
Our first ever VIP Day was a huge success, and we thank the members of NCIA’s PAC Leadership Circle for their dedication to advocacy.
Lobby Days then officially started with a Welcome Reception attended by other advocates in Washington, D.C., NCIA members, and even congressional staff!
The following day, the work really began at our breakfast training. There, attendees met with the groups that they would be in for the day, were taught talking points on various bills and issues, and learned about how to use the app that housed all of their meeting information.
Washington, D.C. is full of great photo ops, so after our breakfast training, all of our attendees shuttled over to the Capitol… and snapped a few selfies, of course!
Meetings on Capitol Hill went from 12pm to 4pm. Each of NCIA’s 54 lobbying teams had at least four meetings over that course of time. Some groups were even lucky enough to sit down with members of Congress to talk about the issues that affect them and their businesses the most.
The day concluded with a fundraiser for the NCIA-PAC. This year’s event was wildly successful, as we had 15 members of the House of Representatives (Reps. Porter (D-CA), Charlie Crist (D-FL), Josh Harder (D-CA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Denny Heck (D-WA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Susie Lee (D-NV), Matt Gaetz (R-FL)) attend and speak, as well as Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR).
The final day of Lobby Days began with a standing-room-only briefing that focused on NCIA’s new white paper titled “Increasing Equity in the Cannabis Industry” that our Policy Council worked on with the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA). Opening remarks were given by MCBA’s President, Shanita Penny along with the Principal of Greenbridge Corporate Counsel, Board Vice-Chair of the National Cannabis Industry Association, and Co-Chair of the Minority Cannabis Business Association Policy Committee, Khurshid Khoja. We were also joined by two members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA), and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ).
Lobby Days wrapped up with small groups dropping off folders with informational materials to congressional offices that we were unable to schedule meetings with. While some may think these drop-ins are ineffective, they actually prove to be incredibly helpful long after our attendees go home.
The dates for NCIA’s 10th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days have already been chosen, so mark your calendars for our biggest year yet, happening May 19-21, 2020!
Be sure to check out the full photo album from this year’s Lobby Days!
Andrew Kline joins NCIA to lead Public Policy and kicks off by establishing a coalition to influence FDA rule-making on CBD/Hemp
NCIA is pleased to announce that Andrew Kline has joined NCIA as Director of Public Policy. In this new role for NCIA, Andrew will lead our substantive public policy efforts, striving to prepare and protect the state-legal cannabis industry. He will also lead NCIA’s Policy Council, a group of NCIA members interested in influencing federal and state public policy.
Andrew’s first task is to lead a coalition of CBD/Hemp businesses to prepare public comments and testimony for the purpose of educating and influencing FDA rule-making. The work begins in earnest today. If you would like to join the coalition, please email Andrew ASAP at Andrew@thecannabisindustry.org.
Kline most recently served as President of the National Association of Cannabis Businesses (NACB), the first self-regulatory organization for the high-growth cannabis industry. At the NACB, Andrew led the creation of national standards for the state-legal cannabis industry, oversaw its standards governance board, and led day-to-day operations and strategic planning.
Kline has a deep and celebrated background in public policy, law enforcement, and coalition creation/management. He is renowned for his ability to create solutions to complex domestic and global public policy issues that appeal to both private and public constituencies.
Prior to joining the NACB, Kline was Special Counsel for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Enforcement Bureau where he was responsible for high-profile investigations and public policy negotiations affecting the telecommunications, internet, cable and satellite industries. He also served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for Intellectual Property Enforcement in the Executive Office of the President [Obama] where he led public-private partnership and public policy efforts to address online trademark theft, copyright infringement, consumer safety, national security, and the protection of domestic business interests globally.
Kline previously worked an Executive in Residence at American University’s School of Public Affairs where he taught graduate-level courses in public policy and law. He also served as senior policy advisor to then-Senator Biden and Vice President Biden, and spent fourteen years as a federal prosecutor.
Mr. Kline is admitted to the California, Colorado and District of Columbia Bars, and holds an MPA from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
MCBA’s Model Municipal Social Equity Ordinance
Recently, NCIA’s Policy Council contributed toward a larger effort by the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) to create model social equity legislation for cities across the country. The legislation’s drafting committee started with the basic framework of the RESPECT Resolution introduced by Congresswoman Barbara Lee in 2018. The drafters also “borrowed liberally” from social equity ordinances in development in other cities such as Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, and Sacramento, “attempting to improve upon these pioneering works with the benefit of hindsight.”
Khurshid Khoja, co-chair of the MCBA Policy Committee and Vice Chair of NCIA’s Board of Directors, led the drafting team. “The Model Ordinance is a statement from the communities we represent to the local lawmakers, regulators, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders who are building our nation’s cannabis industry one town at time – social equity is not only possible, it should be the industry standard moving forward. Our work gives those actors the tools they need to make equity a present reality in our industry rather than a lost opportunity.”
“We are grateful to have had the opportunity to assist the Minority Cannabis Business Association with crafting this important model ordinance,” said Aaron Smith, executive director of NCIA. “As we replace prohibition with regulated cannabis programs, it’s important that the communities most adversely impacted by the disastrous war on marijuana have access to the new economic opportunities of the post-prohibition era. Policymakers across the country should look to this model ordinance as the framework for ensuring that their local cannabis market is inclusive and reflective of the broader community.”
VIDEO: NCIA Policy Webinar – Looking Ahead to 2019
As 2018 comes to a close, it’s a great time to sit down and reflect on the successes and challenges of 2018 for cannabis reform. We’re excited to present to you the first installment of our new quarterly Policy Webinar Series with NCIA’s Director of Government Relations Michael Correia, and Policy Council Chair Steve Fox. Watch the webinar and learn more about the successes our industry has had on Capitol Hill this year, the challenges that may be in store in 2019, and what you can do to take action.
Policy Council: The Little-Known – And Critical – Exception To Federal Paraphernalia Laws
This paper was generated by NCIA’s Policy Council. Steve Fox, Policy Council Director, says “the mission of NCIA’s Policy Council is to inform lawmakers and other stakeholders about policy-related matter affecting the cannabis industry. This short paper is an excellent example of that type of work. It is important that we raise awareness about the critical exception to federal paraphernalia laws, under which state-authorized activity is exempt from the provisions of the law. We can debate how that exemption should be interpreted, but we must acknowledge that it exists. This paper furthers that goal.”
