Last month, the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) hosted its 13th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days and inaugural National Stakeholder Summit in Washington, D.C. 

Over the course of a day and a half, NCIA members canvassed Capitol Hill and completed over 100 meetings on Capitol Hill educating members, staff, and committees on the issues that impact cannabis businesses every day. 

Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights of this impactful, vital, and incredibly fun event:

National Stakeholder Summit: On May 13, the event commenced with the first-ever National Stakeholder Summit, open to both NCIA members and non-members. This summit provided a platform to delve into pressing policy issues such as cannabis rescheduling, taxation challenges under Section 280E, and the dynamics between state and federal regulations. Attendees gained actionable insights from industry experts and learned how to communicate with policymakers post-Lobby Days for effective engagement and desired outcomes.

Lobby Days: Over the next two days, NCIA members participated in organized meetings with members of Congress and their staff. The focus was on advocating for critical reforms, including the soon-to-be-reintroduced Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, the punitive No Deductions for Marijuana Businesses Act, the recently re-introduced STATES 2.0 Act, and the need for federal cannabis reform. Attendees shared personal stories and insights to highlight the challenges faced by cannabis businesses, aiming to educate and influence lawmakers. 

In addition to educating numerous offices about the cannabis industry, attendees also met with staff from various committees, including the Small Business, Agriculture, Finance, Ways and Means, Banking, Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP), Financial Services, and Judiciary inform them of the challenges cannabis businesses face daily. 

And when NCIA members turn out, we see the results. Since the event concluded, we’ve seen increased cosponsorship from multiple offices that our members met with on a number of NCIA’s priority bills.

Closing Reception: After a full day of advocacy attendees networked, debriefed, and fêted at our closing reception, where we awarded longtime cannabis reform proponent, Kris Krane, with our second annual “Steve Fox Excellence in Advocacy” award. 

Additionally, we were joined by the bipartisan co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus: Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) and Congressman Dave Joyce (R-OH). These two advocates have been unrelenting and vocal in their support of the cannabis industry and in reforming our outdated cannabis laws. 

As such, NCIA was honored to present both of them with our much deserved “Legislator Lifetime Achievement” award.

NCIA’s 13th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days and National Stakeholder Summit underscored the organization’s dedication to advocating for fair and equitable cannabis policies at the federal level. By facilitating direct engagement between industry stakeholders and policymakers, NCIA continues to play a crucial role in shaping the future of the cannabis industry. But we couldn’t do it without our sponsors and our members. 

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Platinum Sponsors

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Gold Sponsor

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Silver Sponsors

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Advocate Sponsors

A Therapeutic Alternative

Aiden’s ReLeaf

Alpha Pointe Capital

Kranewreck Enterprises Inc

Mia Getlin, LLC

Napa Cannabis Collective

Speedwell Partners

Management Science Associates, Inc.

Dockside Cannabis

AssurPack LLC

Thorburn Law Group LLC

Perfect Union

Egozi Family Hash