In this edition of our Policy Council Conversations series originally aired on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 panelists discuss the findings of NCIA’s white paper on interstate commerce.

What happens when a state like New York decides to legalize? New York has traditionally imported its cannabis from the west coast through the illicit market, and with a population of nearly 20 million people, it’s unclear how the state could grow all the cannabis it would need to supply a legal market without massive infrastructure and environmental costs.

NCIA’s Policy Council and State Regulations Committee have just wrapped up a blog series and white paper around interstate commerce. This webinar will discuss what the participants in that effort learned from their work. We’ll examine the movement to begin legal cannabis commerce between states, starting with the 2019 bill passed in Oregon followed shortly after by the The State Cannabis Commerce Act of 2019 introduced in Congress. We’ll also discuss how allowing interstate commerce will be better for the environment and patients/consumers, will undercut the illicit market, and will boost an industry that struggles to survive within the confines of state borders.

Learning objectives:
• Why interstate commerce makes sense environmentally and economically
• How patients/consumers would benefit from interstate commerce
• Ways that interstate commerce could potentially be used in a social equity model
• How to successfully lobby for an interstate commerce bill in your state

Panelists:

Rachel Kurtz-McAlaine
Deputy Director of Public Policy
National Cannabis Industry Association

Adam Smith
Founder and Director
Craft Cannabis Alliance

Gabe Cross
Odyssey Distribution

Shanita Penny
Odyssey Distribution