Quartz: Weed is making the beer industry paranoid
“If people are replacing some amount of alcohol with cannabis consumption, it is a net positive for public health,” says Taylor West, of the National Cannabis Industry Association.
Should her argument pan out, it would be good news for the cannabis industry, which could use any evidence showing health benefits as an extra arrow in its quiver when making the case for legalization. Still, it’ll probably be a long time before the beer industry has to seriously worry about people skipping pints for joints.
VT Digger: MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION HITS HURDLES, PANEL VOTE FRIDAY
Nationwide, finding banking services for marijuana shops remains a major issue, said Taylor West, deputy director at the National Cannabis Industry Association.
“Every possible solution has been tried,” she said. “This is a nationwide, $3 billion, largely cash-only industry.”
Even if a credit union that was chartered in a state wanted to provide banking services to a marijuana shop, they would still need the stamp of approval from the feds to do everyday banking, West said.
“Some retailers have gone through 15 to 20 bank accounts. Individuals get their accounts shut down due to their involvement with the industry,” West said.
Read more: http://vtdigger.org/2016/01/26/marijuana-legalization-hits-hurdles/
Cannabis Now: Your Year in Cannabis: The Must-Attend Events of 2016
Over the past few years, cannabis events have both increased in number and expanded to more cities across the U.S. and the globe. In fact, there are now so many cannabis events that it can be a challenge to keep up with all the new cups, tradeshows and summits steadily hitting the scene. Here’s a list of some key events to keep your eye on in 2016 — ones that will likely continue to extend the horizons of the burgeoning cannabis industry.
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National Cannabis Industry Association’s National Cannabis Summit & Expo
thecannabisindustry.org
Oakland, California June 20-22
Read more: http://cannabisnowmagazine.com/cannabis/industry-events/your-year-in-cannabis
Broadly: The Woman at the Center of Colorado’s Booming Edibles Industry
As the chairwoman of the National Cannabis Industry Association, the former chair of the Cannabis Business Alliance, and a founding member of Women Grow, she’s also dedicated to making and improving marijuana policy in the state, as well as to helping to lay the groundwork for the inevitable federal legalization of weed. We spoke to Lewis about making edibles taste like real food, women in the marijuana industry, and the future of weed.
Read more: https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/the-woman-at-the-center-of-colorados-booming-edibles-industry
Summit Daily News: Can the pot industry one day rival skiing?
Colorado’s cannabis industry is benefiting from a “first mover” advantage. Entrepreneurs are locating here, opening businesses and hiring people, Taylor West, of the National Cannabis Industry Association, said.
That advantage may not last. California voters will be asked about marijuana legalization in November of 2016. Connecticut is eyeing legalization, as are other states.
“That may shift things a little bit,” West said.
Colorado’s marijuana industry has quickly helped drive huge changes in the industrial real estate market, especially in the Denver area, West said.
“It’s still growing, but not as exponentially as it did in the first year and a half,” West said. “In Denver, lots of businesses are competing with each other for a share of a statistically stable market.”
Revenue and sales are still going up, West said, but the growth is easing as the industry matures.
“The greatest room for growth is outside the Denver metro area, where the rest of the state was a little slower to adopt it,” West said.
Read more: http://www.summitdaily.com/news/marijuana/20245629-113/story.html
International Business Times: Marijuana Has Become A Media Darling, But Are Journalists Too Soft On Pot?
If the resulting media coverage is generally positive, it could be because, all in all, there’s not much to complain about when it comes to the marijuana movement. “I would contend that if Project SAM is seeing more coverage of the positive aspects of legalization, it’s because the positive aspects of legalization are outweighing the negative,” says Taylor West, deputy director the National Cannabis Industry Association. “There are absolutely things that need to be looked at and fixed, and that is an ongoing process. But all of this ‘sky is falling’ rhetoric that people like them have used for years hasn’t come true.”
Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/marijuana-has-become-media-darling-are-journalists-too-soft-pot-2268042
Comstock’s Magazine: Pot’s Barrier to Legit Banking
And might California legalizing recreational weed next November become the tipping point for that to happen? At least some observers think so.
“Having California legalize recreational marijuana will absolutely put pressure on Congress to change the law,” says West. “The more members of Congress with constituents impacted by this, the more likely they will act.”
Read more: http://www.comstocksmag.com/article/pots-barrier-legit-banking
Cannabis Now: Cannabis Advocates Blast DNC Chair Over Interview
Taylor West, Deputy Director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, told Cannabis Now the Congresswoman’s arguments “don’t make any sense” given the gateway drug argument so often levied against cannabis is an idea that “has been roundly debunked by research.”
“It is even more unconscionable that Congresswoman Schultz would use these fundamentally wrong arguments to deny patients legal access to the therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana,” West said.
Read more: http://cannabisnowmagazine.com/current-events/politics/cannabis-advocates-blast-dnc-chair-over-interview
Christian Science Monitor: Marijuana scholarships: good idea for a Colorado city?
The tax is a smart initiative, not a burden; say leaders in the field of marijuana cultivation.
“Businesses in the cannabis industry are interested in showing that they are a contributing member of the overall economic community,” Taylor West, deputy director at the National Cannabis Industry Association, tells The Christian Science Monitor in a phone interview Tuesday.
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/marijuana-scholarships-good-idea-colorado-city-182113128.html
KSTP-TV: Some Patients Not Returning to Medical Cannabis Program
“I think it’s good the state is trying to get to the bottom of that,” said Taylor West, Deputy Director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. “Honestly some of these issues were easily predictable, Minnesota doesn’t allow for many forms of products that other state’s allow.”
Read more: http://kstp.com/news/stories/S4012037.shtml
New York Business Journal: It’s cash-only at New York City’s first medical marijuana dispensary
While launching a business without credit card service may be unusual in other industries, for cannabis proprietors around the United States, this is increasingly common. “The biggest obstacle is the banking situation,” said Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, based in Washington D.C. “This is a big problem for anyone doing legal business in the cannabis industry.”
In February 2014, the Department of Treasury and the Department of Justice released guidelines intended to pave the way for banks to work with legal cannabis companies in certain situations. West calls the documents a “good faith” attempt, but added, “guidance is not a law change.”
To overcome banking issues at dispensaries in other states that already offer legal marijuana options, some companies have been forced to pay cash for rent, bills, mortgages, and wages. Others manage to work with local banks but are less than fully transparent about some of the details of their business, West said.
In Colorado, where recreational marijuana has been legal since January 2014, and where West is based, she says some companies have gone through as many as 15 different banks, and that it will likely be no different in New York.
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Going forward, the level of success these businesses achieve could end up being largely based on the state’s willingness to play a roll in streamlining the application process for patients and helping doctors understand what is required, according to West, who has worked closely with the integration process during legalization efforts around the United States.
While banking issues, local acceptance, and logistical consideration such as the amount and locations of doctors able to prescribe cannabis all play an important role in the success of this industry, according to the National Cannabis Industry Association official, it’s state-level education at the foundation of it all.
“We’ve seen in other states,” she added. “There are dramatic differences in acceptance based on the state’s willingness to educate.”
Read more: http://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2016/01/07/columbia-care-medical-marijuana-manhattan-opens.html
Westword: POT CREDIT UNION WOULD “FACILITATE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY,” JUDGE RULES
Shortly after Jackson weighed in, the National Cannabis Industry Association expressed its dismay.
“This ruling sends a message loud and clear — Congress must act,” NCIA executive director Aaron Smith said in a statement. “There’s no shortcut, there’s no Band-Aid, there’s no work-around to fix this industry-wide.
“Forcing cannabis businesses to operate without banking access is a crisis, affecting public safety, law-abiding businesses,” he added, “and the state officials in charge of regulating them. It’s time for Congress to do its job and fix the problem.”
Jackson, too, feels that only the legislative branch can resolve the issue. His opinion contains the following passage: “I regard the situation as untenable and hope that it will soon be addressed and resolved by Congress.”
Read more: http://www.westword.com/news/pot-credit-union-would-facilitate-criminal-activity-judge-rules-7487195
International Business Times: Marijuana Banking: Judge Dismisses Credit Union Lawsuit Against Federal Reserve
Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, said Tuesday that the ruling shows that the Congress must act. “There’s no shortcut, there’s no Band-Aid, there’s no workaround to fix this industry-wide,” Smith said, according to AP. “Forcing cannabis businesses to operate without banking access is a crisis, affecting public safety, law-abiding businesses and the state officials in charge of regulating them.”
Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/marijuana-banking-judge-dismisses-credit-union-lawsuit-against-federal-reserve-2251294
Denver Business Journal: Judge dismisses suit by credit union seeking to serve pot businesses
The National Cannabis Industry Association said Tuesday’s ruling sends a message that Congress must act.
“There’s no shortcut, there’s no Band-Aid, there’s no work around to fix this industry-wide,” said Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association.
“Forcing cannabis businesses to operate without banking access is a crisis, affecting public safety, law-abiding businesses, and the state officials in charge of regulating them,” he said.
Read more: http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/finance_etc/2016/01/judge-dismisses-suit-by-credit-union-seeking-to.html
AP: Judge: Pot credit union can’t access nation’s banking system
Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, said Tuesday that Jackson’s ruling sends the message that Congress must act.
“There’s no shortcut, there’s no Band-Aid, there’s no workaround to fix this industry-wide,” he said. “Forcing cannabis businesses to operate without banking access is a crisis, affecting public safety, law-abiding businesses and the state officials in charge of regulating them.”
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c78e5f02e69641caa38dec757c5464e7/judge-pot-credit-union-cant-access-nations-banking-system
Portland Press Herald: Maine bankers give cold shoulder to medical marijuana industry
“It is a massive issue and it’s industrywide,” said Taylor West, deputy director of the Washington, D.C.-based National Cannabis Industry Association. “It affects businesses in every state that has some form of legalized marijuana. It affects businesses that directly handle the plant, but also businesses that serve the businesses handling the plants.”
Read more: http://www.pressherald.com/2016/01/03/maine-bankers-give-cold-shoulder-to-medical-marijuana-industry/
The Cannabist Show: She leads student advocacy; He’s a voice for the industry
Featured guests: Students for Sensible Drug Policy executive director Betty Aldworth and National Cannabis Industry Association executive director Aaron Smith.
We’re talking about marijuana policy — including legislation in Congress and who’s making an impact; the outlook for changing the federal drug schedule; and adolescent marijuana use. There’s also discussion about one of the biggest issues affecting cannabis businesses and predictions for big stories in 2016.
Watch the video: http://www.thecannabist.co/2015/12/31/cannabist-show-betty-aldworth-aaron-smith/45821/
Vail Daily: Can the pot industry one day rival skiing?
Colorado’s cannabis industry is benefiting from a “first mover” advantage. Entrepreneurs are locating here, opening businesses and hiring people, Taylor West, of the National Cannabis Industry Association, said.
That advantage may not last. California voters will be asked about marijuana legalization in November of 2016. Connecticut is eyeing legalization, as are other states.
“That may shift things a little bit,” West said.
Colorado’s marijuana industry has quickly helped drive huge changes in the industrial real estate market, especially in the Denver area, West said.
“It’s still growing, but not as exponentially as it did in the first year and a half,” West said. “In Denver, lots of businesses are competing with each other for a share of a statistically stable market.”
Revenue and sales are still going up, West said, but the growth is easing as the industry matures.
“The greatest room for growth is outside the Denver metro area, where the rest of the state was a little slower to adopt it,” West said.
Read more: http://www.vaildaily.com/news/19716503-113/can-the-pot-industry-one-day-rival-skiing
International Business Times: The World’s First Cannabis Arbitration Institute Wants To Take The Legal Uncertainty Out Of The Pot Business
“The cannabis industry is in a weird position because a lot of issues that other industries might handle in the court system are a little more fraught in the marijuana industry because everything brings up federal oversight, federal illegality, conflicts between state and federal law,” says Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. “There is just this added wild card any time you are looking into the court system.”
Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/worlds-first-cannabis-arbitration-institute-wants-take-legal-uncertainty-out-pot-2220935
Fox News: U.S. Postal Service to newspapers: your marijuana ads are illegal
Taylor West, spokeswoman for the National Cannabis Industry Association, which represents marijuana-related businesses throughout the U.S., says this is the latest salvo in the struggle between the federal government and states’ rights.
“This is another example of how conflict between federal and state law ends up harassing legitimate businesses,” she told Foxnews.com. “(They) are licensed by the state, abide by state laws and are contributing taxes. But by issuing this directive and threatening to enforce the law, they are basically treating these businesses like criminals.”
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West says the issue is not so cut and dry when states — driven by voters — have declared their interest in legalizing and regulating cannabis for the open market.
“The federal government is going to have to come to terms with the fact that voters have chosen a different way to handle this product,” said West.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/12/04/u-s-postal-service-to-newspapers-your-marijuana-ads-are-illegal.html
Associated Press: Want to open a marijuana business in Alaska? Rules are changing
Arguments that have been made for outside investment for pot businesses include having greater access to financing since the industry is largely excluded from typical commercial lending because of federal drug laws, and access to people with industry experience, said Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association.
On the other side, not allowing outside investment can be an attempt to keep the industry smaller and easier to manage, she said. Another argument that has been raised is giving home-grown businesses a chance to establish themselves and flourish, she said.
Read more: http://www.thecannabist.co/2015/12/01/want-to-open-a-marijuana-business-in-alaska-rules-are-changing/44610/
High Times: Will Medical Marijuana Ever Be Covered By Medicare?
Now that many in this demographic of campus radicals and hippies are receiving Medicare, they are looking to gain more access to recreational and medical marijuana. In the case of the latter, they would like it to be covered under Medicare.
“A lot of the things marijuana is best at are conditions which become more of an issue as you get older,” Taylor West, deputy director of the Denver-based National Cannabis Industry Association, told Reuters.
“Chronic pain, inflammation, insomnia, loss of appetite: All of those things are widespread among seniors.”
Read more: http://www.hightimes.com/read/will-medical-marijuana-ever-be-covered-medicare
Associations Now: READY TO RUN: GOVERNMENT RELATIONS IN 2016
Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, knows firsthand the value of seizing the political moment. NCIA was founded in 2010 to support the ranks of legal growers and sellers who’ve emerged in the wake of state- and municipal-level marijuana-legalization efforts. As legalization expands, the association has gained a legitimacy it previously lacked. As West puts it, “This is the first presidential election where marijuana policy is considered something to be talked about rather than dismissed or demagogued on.”
But marijuana, legal or no, is still a touchy subject for many candidates, which is why NCIA has adopted a strategy that promotes the job- creating aspect of the industry and pursues partnerships that promote its seriousness. NCIA encourages business owners to attend fundraisers and events to deliver plain talk about the association’s concerns, such as allowing dispensaries access to banks. “Some candidates are still anxious or nervous about being associated with our issues,” West says. “That’s where putting the faces of actual business owners into their orbit is so important.”
Read more: http://associationsnow.com/2015/12/ready-to-run-government-relations-in-2016/
The Weed Blog: NCIA 5 Year Anniversary Video: Looking Back, Moving Forward
This blog started in 2010, and so did the National Cannabis Industry Association. I have watched, and supported, their work from the very beginning, and will continue to do so. Their work has added to the momentum for marijuana reform in a way that no other organization has. That’s not to take away from other organizations, but the National Cannabis Industry Association has moved the industry forward which has changed a lot of minds that wouldn’t have been changed otherwise.
Read more: http://www.theweedblog.com/ncia-5-year-anniversary-video-looking-back-moving-forward/
Cashinbis: GET INVOLVED: THE TOP CANNABIS INDUSTRY ADVOCACY GROUPS
Here are some of the top advocacy groups nationwide that are pushing our movement forward. Look for others that are local to your state or region!
National Cannabis Industry Association
The NCIA represents and lobbies for the cannabis industry as a whole. The group represents the economic interests of the industry, and since its founding in 2010, has gained influence in the realm of federal policy by directly engaging in the legislative process.
Benefits to joining up with NCIA are plentiful. Some of the biggest cannabis industry trade shows and gala events of the year are put on by NCIA, and for members, exclusive inter-industry discounts, networking opportunities, whitepapers and educational content are available digitally.
Read more: https://www.cashinbis.com/get-involved-the-top-cannabis-industry-advocacy-groups/
The Daily Chronic: California Congresswoman Receives National Cannabis Industry Association Leadership Award
On Wednesday, California Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) received the 2015 Legislative Leadership Award from the National Cannabis Industry Association at the organization’s 5th annual gala dinner.
“It is truly a humbling honor to receive this award. I’d like to thank the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), Board Chairwoman Jamie Lewis and Executive Director Aaron Smith for this tremendous honor,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
NCIA is the largest cannabis trade association in the U.S. and the only organization representing cannabis-related businesses at the federal level.
Read more: http://www.thedailychronic.net/2015/49648/california-congresswoman-receives-national-cannabis-industry-association-leadership-award/
MarketWatch: Hillary Clinton’s marijuana policy could lead to regulation of the industry
Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, says rescheduling won’t solve the issue of federal interference in legalized states and still gives marijuana a high-risk classification.
“We’ll be looking for more cannabis-related policies from [Clinton] in the future,” West says.
Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/hillary-clinton%E2%80%99s-marijuana-policy-could-lead-to-regulation-of-the-industry/ar-CC9giq