CCMA Political greenBrief
Thursday, February 14, 2019
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
California Treasurer Fiona Ma Testified In The First Congressional Hearing On Cannabis Banking. The House Committee On Financial Services Was Set To Consider A Draft Of The Secure And Fair Enforcement Banking Act (SAFE) Of 2019 Which Would Protect Banks And Their Employees From Punishment For Providing Services To State Legal Cannabis Businesses
“Lawmakers are not being asked to weigh in on whether marijuana should be legal or not. They are simply looking at whether banking services should be available to these businesses in states where it is already legal.”Mason Tvert Of The Marijuana Policy Project On The SFAE Banking Act
“The federal government should never stand between our veterans and their medicine. This critical legislation is a long overdue step to empower veterans and their doctors to make informed health care decisions, without political interference.”Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) On The Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act
EVENT: Malibu Fire Fundraiser On February 15th (Los Angeles – Cannabis Events)
On Friday February 15th, help the CCMA and Future Cannabis Project bring the cannabis community together for a fundraiser to benefit victims of the Woolsey Fire in Malibu. Daytime activities include conference sessions and yoga classes. The evening kicks off with a four course dinner prepared by a team of chefs followed by a party in a beautiful venue in downtown Los Angeles. Tax deductible proceeds will go directly to the Malibu Foundation, a non-profit working to assist in recovery for victims of the Woolsey Fire.
http://malibu.futurecannabisproject.org
VIDEO: Congressional Hearing On Marijuana Banking Held (USA – Cannabis Banking)
NORML (February 14, 2019) The House Financial Services subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions held a hearing Wednesday to address the lack of access to basic banking services by state-legal marijuana businesses. Currently, state-licensed marijuana businesses face a web of conflicting regulations and federal prohibitions largely prohibit these businesses from partnering with financial institutions, processing credit cards, and taking standard business deductions.
https://blog.norml.org/2019/02/14/congressional-hearing-on-marijuana-banking-held/
Banks Want A Hit Of The Marijuana Business. Will They Get To Partake? (USA – Cannabis Banking)
The Washington Post (February 13, 2019) The U.S. banking industry has a marijuana problem. The House Financial Services subcommittee took up proposed legislation, the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act of 2019 or SAFE Banking Act, that would protect banks and their employees from punishment for providing services to cannabis businesses that are legal on a state level.
California’s Governor Vows Crackdown On Illegal Pot Farms, Says Many Are ‘Run By The Cartels’ (CA – Illicit Market)
NBC News (February 12, 2019) California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed Tuesday to crack down on cartel-grown black market marijuana despite questions about the scope of influence Mexican drug rings are having on the nation’s top cannabis producing state. He is directing more than a third of these troops to help target illicit pot cultivators in Northern California.
Gavin Newsom Plans To Send National Guard Troops North To Tackle Illegal Pot Grows (CA – Illicit Market)
Times Standard (February 12, 2019) Following up on Monday’s plan to pull National Guard troops from the California-Mexico border, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today as part of his State of the State address that he plans to send some of those troops north to tackle cannabis grows.
Could Cannabis Be The New Gambling For Native Americans? So Far, Tribes Are Being Shut Out (CA – Tribal Cannabis)
Chico Enterprise-Record (February 14, 2019) While tribes are free to grow and sell cannabis on their sovereign land now that recreational marijuana is legal in California, there’s no path in state law for Native Americans to join the regulated market. That means tribes are cut off from the much larger nascent industry that’s open to every sanctioned marijuana farmer not in Indian County.
City Of Sonora To Sue California Over Statewide Marijuana Delivery Policy (CA – Delivery Services)
Marijuana Business Daily (February 14, 2019) The city of Sonora, in central California, plans to file suit against the state Bureau of Cannabis Control over a policy adopted in 2018 that allows commercial marijuana to be delivered anywhere in the state, regardless of local bans on MJ commerce.
https://mjbizdaily.com/city-of-sonora-to-sue-california-over-statewide-cannabis-delivery-policy/
Marijuana Odor Sparks Outrage For Business Owners In California (CA – Cannabusiness)
ABC 13 (February 13, 2019) Business owners in California are starting to complain about a new smell that’s possibly killing their business. In Cathedral City, California, California, business owners say the strong stench of weed is slowing down business in the area despite the city having multiple compliance officers monitoring.
https://abc13.com/society/marijuana-odor-sparks-outrage-for-business-owners/5136814/
Contra Costa County Kicks Off Process To Permit Cannabis Businesses (CA – Cannabusiness)
East Bay Times (February 13, 2019) Contra Costa County on Thursday will invite cannabis businesses to apply for a limited number of permits to operate in unincorporated areas. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to request proposals from marijuana businesses interested in applying for one of 16 operating permits that will be issued.
Congress Urged To Fully Open Banks To Marijuana Industry (USA – Cannabis Banking)
The State (February 13, 2019) Bank officials and others urged Congress on Wednesday to fully open the doors of the U.S. banking system to the legal marijuana industry, a change that supporters say would reduce crime risks and resolve a litany of challenges for cannabis companies, from paying taxes to getting a loan.
https://www.thestate.com/news/business/national-business/article226226515.html
Sen. Kamala Harris Endorses Federal Marijuana Legalization (USA – Cannabis Reform)
The Daily Californian (February 14, 2019) Democratic presidential candidate and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, announced her support for the federal legalization of cannabis Monday. During an interview on the radio show “The Breakfast Club,” Harris denied she opposed marijuana legalization and added that she herself had smoked in college and “inhaled.” That day, she released an emailed statement to supporters calling it “a matter of repairing our communities, system, and country.”
http://www.dailycal.org/2019/02/14/sen-kamala-harris-endorses-federal-marijuana-legalization/
Freshman Representative Ocasio-Cortez Shows Cannabis Industry Not Immune To The Ills Of Corporate Lobbying (USA – Cannabis Lobbying)
Pot Network (February 14, 2019) On Wednesday, Democratic rising-star and New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took the occasion of the House Financial Services subcommittee hearing on issues of cannabis banking to bring to light a well-known but little-discussed congressional practice. According to Ocasio-Cortez, those lobbying in favor of the cannabis industry are not immune to such practices.
Cannabis Lobbying Heats Up As Congress Looks At Pot Banking (USA – Cannabis Banking)
Bloomberg (February 13, 2019) The cannabis industry and others who stand to benefit from pot legalization have been boosting their lobbying presence on Capitol Hill. The stepped-up efforts came as more states legalized marijuana, creating a disconnect with federal law, which still classifies marijuana as an illegal substance. Cannabis is legal in some form—from limited medical use to full recreational use — in more than 30 states.
https://about.bgov.com/news/cannabis-lobbying-heats-up-as-congress-looks-at-pot-banking/
Trump Could Revolutionize America’s Marijuana Policy Right Now With One Signature (USA – Cannabis Reform)
Civilized (February 12, 2019) A prominent Justice Department official during the George W. Bush administration says it really wouldn’t be that hard for the president to unilaterally change cannabis laws. All it would take is an executive order.
Cannabis Industry Needs Banking Rule Changes, California Treasurer To Tell Congress (USA – Cannabis Banking)
North Bay Business Journal (February 13, 2019) California Treasurer Fiona Ma is set to testify Wednesday morning at the first Congressional hearing about the difficulties the state’s emerging legal cannabis industry is facing with access to conventional banking services because federal law deems marijuana among the top illegal drugs.
Lawmakers File Bills To Legalize Medical Marijuana For Military Veterans (USA – Veteran Access)
Marijuana Moment (February 13, 2019) Lawmakers on Capitol Hill filed companion bills on Tuesday in the House and Senate to make it legal under federal law for military veterans to “use, possess, or transport medical marijuana” in accordance with state policies. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), is called The Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act.
