Come Meet Congress – 11th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days
by Madeline Grant, NCIA’s Government Relations Manager
Will you join us as a united front in Washington, D.C. this year?
Hundreds of cannabis industry professionals from all over the country will descend on Capitol Hill this month for the 11th year for NCIA’s Annual Lobby Days. It’s more important than ever before to make your voice heard and advocate for the federal reforms our industry needs to truly thrive.
Whether it’s access to banking for your business, much-needed federal tax reforms, or some of the many other struggles faced by our industry that could be remedied by congressional action, we need you to tell your stories on Capitol Hill with us on May 16-18.
Here’s our top four reasons for you to register today to join us for this exciting and impactful event this year:
New members of Congress
Last November, we saw midterm elections bring in a new class of freshman members of Congress. Many of these new faces replaced the old guard of those with long-standing prohibitionist views toward cannabis. Many of them lean more progressive, which means they are more likely to be friendly toward our issues. This infusion of new blood, new minds, and new perspectives in the halls of Congress can work in our favor.
NCIA’s Lobby Days is the best way to get direct access to some of these offices so we can get off on the right foot with them on our issues. Joining us in D.C. means you will inform and educate these new members of Congress on the struggles we face like tax reform, veterans’ medical access, social equity, and of course, the SAFE Banking Act specifically. How many new co-signers can we get on this bill? Let’s find out together.
Discuss incremental and comprehensive reform
With new members of Congress come new staffers that need to be educated on cannabis policy reform. In an environment where there are hundreds of issues, it’s important we reach every Hill office. When we descend on Capitol Hill, NCIA members will have the ability to discuss their personal stories in the cannabis space. The government relations team is constantly on Capitol Hill meeting with offices; however, hearing directly from businesses is something special.
As we are at the beginning of the 118th Congress, cannabis legislation will continue to be introduced and this is our opportunity to get members of Congress on board. It’s all about baby steps; as we educate congressional offices they now have the ability to reach out to NCIA for resources and information. Over the past ten lobby days, NCIA sees a significant increase in co-sponsorship for cannabis legislation.
When we go into meetings the government relations team will provide talking points covering incremental reform; such as SAFE banking and 280E reform. Further, we have the opportunity to gather intel regarding their view on comprehensive reform. We’ve seen bills, such as the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act and the States Reform Act. Although these bills have not had any legislative success, it’s important for Hill offices to understand the importance of state and federal conflict for the cannabis industry.
Meeting 200+ other politically active industry professionals
It’s not a conference — it’s different. There’s no expo floor or panel discussions, just people. And it happens to be some of the most politically engaged leaders of our industry who attend Lobby Days. You’ll rub shoulders and team up with cannabis industry pioneers who have been in the game for years. You’ll learn the “ins and outs” of the Beltway from lobby day veterans who join us every year to advocate for our industry. Hear about it for yourself by watching this re-cap video from last year’s 10th Annual Lobby Days:
Learn how to lobby and take those lessons home
This isn’t our first rodeo, but it might be yours, and that’s okay. Even if you’ve never done citizen lobbying before, NCIA’s government relations team makes it easy by offering training before the event, as well as on-site. We’ll give you materials to help you tell your stories including descriptions of our priority legislation, and background information on the offices you’ll be speaking with. And you won’t have to go it alone! We will team you up with a small group of your fellow cannabis industry peers to navigate the halls of Congress together.
Lobby Days with NCIA will empower you to go back to your home state to advocate on the industry’s behalf. You’ll know what to say, how to say it, and what to expect.
Together, we can make a real difference and push our industry past the tipping point. Hundreds of NCIA members have already registered for this event, so what are you waiting for? Register today, schedule your flight, and book your hotel. We can’t wait to see you there.
NCIA Director of Communications Bethany Moore checks in with what’s going on across the country with the National Cannabis Industry Association’s membership, board, allies, and staff. This week Bethany is joined by NCIA CEO Aaron Smith to talk about the importance of having your voice heard on Capitol Hill at our upcoming 10th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days on September 13-14. Join us every other Thursday on Facebook for NCIA Today Live.
by Madeline Grant, NCIA’s Government Relations Manager
The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) held its very first Virtual Mini Lobby Days with NCIA’s Evergreen Roundtable members. Before the pandemic and closure of our Nation’s Capital, the Government Relations team planned an in-person annual fly-in every spring, the Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days, for all NCIA members. For our first Virtual Mini Lobby Days, it was important to facilitate conversations between our Roundtable and Capitol Hill offices. The Evergreen membership tier is for leading businesses looking to make a meaningful investment in shaping policy for the cannabis industry. Evergreen members receive exclusive access to private briefings from members of Congress, inside information from NCIA’s government relations team, and many more opportunities to participate in the national conversation around cannabis policy.
Now more than ever we’ve seen more comprehensive legislation being introduced at the federal level, on both sides of the aisle, so we wanted to focus on meetings with our cannabis champions but also educate all congressional offices on Capitol Hill. We were able to meet with representatives, senators, committee staff, office staff, and much more. Evergreen members were able to share information, stories, and data to Hill offices.
The NCIA team, Monica Gray with Nice Guys Delivery, Khurshid Khoja with Greenbridge Corporate Counsel, and Christina Hollenback with The People’s Ecosystem meeting with Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14), a co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.
As we hopped on our zoom calls, our main focus was education. The Evergreen Roundtable was able to share stories from their personal experiences in the cannabis industry and directly relate these experiences to the importance of cannabis policy reform. The dichotomy around incremental versus comprehensive cannabis policy reform was a central focus in discussion. As around thirty meetings took place throughout the week, the Government Relations team and Evergreen Roundtable caught up with friends, gained valuable insight, and continued to educate Congress. We took this opportunity to show our support and gratitude for all the representatives and senators who constantly support cannabis policy reform. Furthermore, we educated congressional offices with data, testimonials, and research to highlight the necessity for cannabis policy reform at the federal level. There is no doubt that reform is needed for the cannabis community and NCIA will continue to be a resource to all congressional offices.
NCIA’s 9th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days in 2019 May 21-23 2019.
As we monitor the full opening of Capitol Hill, stay tuned for updates regarding NCIA Lobby Days. The Government Relations team is looking forward to our next Mini Lobby Days later this year for all Evergreen members. If you’re interested in learning more or getting involved in our policy work please feel free to reach out to Madeline@TheCannabisIndustry.org.
What to Watch in the Lame Duck Session
by Madeline Grant, NCIA’s Government Relations Manager
Following the presidential election, we’ve entered the lame-duck session. This occurs after an election, but before new members are sworn in, and allows for time on the legislative calendar for Congress to pass additional legislation. Before Congress heads home for the holidays, a new administration takes office, and the 117th Congress returns, let’s take a look at what to keep an eye on during the lame-duck session.
Banking Access
The House of Representatives has approved the SAFE Banking Act in some form THREE times in just over a year. The text of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act has passed through two different COVID-19 relief packages on the House side: the HEROES Act, and the HEROES Act 2.0, and also passed as standalone legislation in September 2019. However, in the upper chamber, we’ve seen Senators criticize including marijuana components in coronavirus legislation, arguing that it is not germane to the issue at hand. Specifically, Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) took to the floor to complain that the House bill provides “special treatment to the marijuana industry,” stating that the legislation “mentions the word ‘cannabis’ more times than the words ‘job’ or ‘jobs.’” Regardless, it’s evident that SAFE banking has bipartisan support and could help mitigate the spread of the virus by ending the industry’s reliance on cash transactions.
Additionally, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced a coronavirus relief bill last month that contains the SAFE Banking Act. We’ve seen pushback from the Republican-controlled Senate and the Trump administration, however, Senator Schumer’s inclusion of cannabis provisions is a positive sign that Democrats will make an effort to continue to push for these provisions. As Congress and the Trump Administration continue to negotiate coronavirus relief legislation, we will continue to keep our eyes on banking. Also, a friendly reminder to call our representatives and senators and encourage them to support cannabis banking reform. If they are already a champion on our issues, thank them for their support.
The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act
Regardless of all of the trials and tribulations that 2020 has brought, there is still great excitement and optimism around the MORE Act! House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) confirmed that marijuana legalization is still on the table before the presidential transition and will get a vote in December. Previously, Representative Hoyer announced this past summer that the chamber would vote on the MORE Act in September, but that plan was postponed following pushback from certain offices who were concerned about the optics of advancing cannabis reform before passing another coronavirus relief package.
The MORE Act is the most comprehensive cannabis legislation to date. The bill would: federally deschedule cannabis, completely removing it from the Controlled Substances Act, expunge the records of those with prior marijuana convictions and impose a federal give percent tax on sales, revenue from which would be reinvested in communities most impacted by the drug war. Additionally, the legislation would also create a pathway for resentencing for those incarcerated for marijuana offenses, as well as protect immigrants from being denied citizenship over cannabis and prevent federal agencies from denying public benefits or security clearances due to use. The fact that we have a potential vote on the MORE Act before the end of the 116th Congress is exciting news for the cannabis community. As we gear up to the end of the year, look out for updates on the MORE Act, and remember, please call your representative and senators and urge them to support this significant piece of cannabis legislation.
Success Through Hardship in the 116th Congress
This year has been unlike any other year we’ve faced as a country. Since March, Congress has exhausted their legislative efforts to agree on coronavirus relief bills. With differences on both sides of the aisle and with the administration reaching any sort of legislative success seems near impossible. However, on a positive note we’ve seen our champions on Capitol Hill not give up on cannabis-related provisions. Although we are faced and halted by frustrations in the Republican-controlled Senate, we still see members of Congress working to include the much-needed cannabis reform our nation is calling for. Not to mention Election Day – Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota all passed measures making cannabis legal and regulated for adults, while Mississippi and South Dakota chose to legalize medical cannabis. Every success and victory in cannabis policies around the country creates more momentum for Congress to fix the out-dated cannabis laws. As we wrap up the 116th Congress, we will be left with more momentum than ever before to enter the 117th Congress to reach new legislative victories.
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!
The Cannabis Industry Takes D.C. – Highlights from NCIA’s 7th Annual Lobby Days
by Michelle Rutter, NCIA Government Relations Manager
With the uncertainty that the new administration has brought the cannabis industry, it’s become more important now than ever before to be proactive in government and in our nation’s capital. Last month, NCIA did just that by hosting our 7th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days. 250 cannabis industry professionals joined us in Washington, D.C., to meet with more than 300 Capitol Hill offices and tell their stories.
Lobby Days kicked off with a breakfast and training session for our attendees, where they learned lobbying basics and were briefed on our talking points. There, attendees met with their groups and gathered their materials to drop off in Capitol Hill offices for staff.
Once the training session was complete, we led our attendees down to our group photo location. Every year, NCIA has nearly doubled the number of participants at Lobby Days.
Following our (very large!) group photo, meetings on Capitol Hill commenced. We scheduled more than 300 meetings with congressional opponents, advocates, members from relevant committees, and others. In addition to the meetings we had scheduled, we also dropped in on various offices and left information about our issues with staff for them to review. In all, we made contact with nearly all of the 535 congressional offices on the Hill!
Simultaneously during our Hill meetings, NCIA hosted a private luncheon for Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), the new sponsor of H.R. 1810: The Small Business Tax Equity Act, which addresses the unfair burden of 280E faced by the cannabis industry. Over the years, NCIA has consistently worked to increase our Capitol Hill advocates and are thrilled that Congressman Curbelo will be leading the charge on 280E reform.
After a busy day of meetings on Capitol Hill, NCIA hosted a fundraiser for the NCIA-PAC, the Political Action Committee (PAC) for cannabis industry professionals. We had six members of Congress show their support by joining us: Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jared Polis (D-CO), and Dina Titus (D-NV).
We were thrilled to raise $60,000 for the NCIA-PAC, which supports federal candidates who are open to the challenges and concerns our industry faces, support cannabis reform at the federal level, and introduce or support pro-cannabis legislation.
Our second day got off to a great start with a press conference held in front of the United States Capitol Building. NCIA executive director Aaron Smith was joined by seven members of Congress (Reps. Blumenauer, Steve Cohen [D-TN], Curbelo, Diana DeGette [D-CO], Eleanor Holmes-Norton [D-DC], Polis [D-CO], and Titus [D-NV]) to address the need for reform federal marijuana laws.
Overall, it was an incredibly successful Lobby Days, and our biggest yet! We’ve already seen co-sponsorship on cannabis-related bills increase, and it is undoubtedly related to the meetings and personal stories NCIA members shared. We look forward to seeing you all in Washington, D.C., for our 8th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days in 2018!
Editor’s Note: In January, Ean Seeb, who serves on the Board of Directors for NCIA and is co-founder of Denver Relief and Denver Relief Consulting, coordinated with NCIA’s Director of Government Relations Michael Correia to arrange personal meetings with congressional offices in Washington, D.C.
Ean Seeb speaks at NCIA’s Policy Symposium in 2015
In December, while planning for a January business trip to Washington, D.C., I realized that I should take the opportunity to use some downtime to lobby Capitol Hill offices on issues affecting the cannabis industry. I reached out to NCIA’s Executive Director Aaron Smith and Director of Government Relations Michael Correia and announced my intention. I was amazed at their responsiveness and support for my idea.
The whole planning process was quite easy. I let them know the date I was available and the focus of my trip and let the D.C. office coordinate logistics. Denver Relief Consulting has business interests in Hawaii and I wanted to focus on that state’s Congressional delegation. My goals were to update offices on medical marijuana implementation in Hawaii and ask these offices to co-sponsor The Small Business Tax Equity Act of 2015 (S. 987 & H.R. 1855), which amends Internal Revenue Code Section 280E to allow cannabis businesses in compliance with state law to take standard tax deductions and credits relating to business expenses.
The trip went very smoothly. I met up with Michael the evening before our meetings to discuss issues and logistics. Although I am well-versed on issues affecting our industry, it was really informative for me to sit down with him and discuss our focus, strategy, and talking points. We were joined by NCIA Member Tae Darnell, CEO of Sensi Media, whose background on cannabis reform in Hawaii goes back many years and was a great asset to our meetings.
We visited offices in both the Senate and House of Representatives, and each office was very informed about cannabis issues, was responsive to our concerns, and asked insightful questions. I remember back in 2013 when NCIA held its 3rd annual member lobby days. During those meetings, staffers would drop their jaws and say “You’re here to talk about what?” It was almost humorous because, back then, staffers were still in shock that cannabis issues were being brought to them. This time, one of our meetings lasted a full hour! The reception from congressional offices has evolved significantly over the past five years, and that can be attributed to the work NCIA has done on the ground.
The National Cannabis Industry Association’s 5th Annual Lobby Days in Washington, D.C.
Although our meetings were with Democratic offices, who tend to be supportive of our issues, they were still not co-sponsors of legislation that would solve our 280E tax problems. The offices really appreciated tying the issue to Hawaii and answering questions specifically related to the state and how 280E will negatively affect their constituents. Each of the offices will discuss co-sponsoring legislation in the future, and our D.C. office will continue working with them to gain their support.
I did my homework with information provided by NCIA through newsletters, packets, and the website. An hour’s worth of studying on the front end made for some really powerful and effective meetings. As an NCIA member, it was personally and professionally fulfilling to be able to leave the Capitol thinking, “Today, I made some good progress on our issues, and for our industry, through the work done with these folks.”
We love nothing more than getting our members in front of lawmakers. That’s where change happens. https://t.co/kcdYFf6oJT
I wholeheartedly encourage other NCIA members not only to go to NCIA’s 6th annual Member Lobby Days in May — but also to go to D.C. on your own. The NCIA Government Relations team will be there with you every step of the way.
As I was leaving, Michael said, “Please tell other members who happen to be traveling to D.C. that we are available for any NCIA member, at any time, who wants us to coordinate personal meetings with congressional offices.”
If you are interested in contacting NCIA’s Government Relations department to schedule meetings with Members of Congress in Washington, D.C., please email Government Relations Coordinator Michelle Rutter at michelle@thecannabisindustry for more information.
by Madeline Grant, NCIA’s Government Relations Manager
Following the presidential election, we’ve entered the lame-duck session. This occurs after an election, but before new members are sworn in, and allows for time on the legislative calendar for Congress to pass additional legislation. Before Congress heads home for the holidays, a new administration takes office, and the 117th Congress returns, let’s take a look at what to keep an eye on during the lame-duck session. 
Follow NCIA
Newsletter
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Instagram
News & Resource Topics
–
This Just In
How THCa Vapes Are Changing Consumer
Announcing NCIA’s 2026-2028 Board of Directors