David Hua attended the NCIA conference this year and shares few key take-aways as a member of the NCIA retail subcommittee: The conference set aside an afternoon for all the different subcommittees to gather and plan out their strategy and initiatives for the year. Also, during the hemp panel, subcommittees discussed California’s bill AB-228. Currently, […]

While most of us have heard of the STATES Act and the SAFE Banking Act, fewer of us have heard of the Veterans Administration Research Act, of which U.S. Congresswoman Deb Haaland is a sponsor. As the daughter of two service members, Haaland believes that it is essential to go out, talk to veterans, and […]

Neill Franklin, of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), talks with us about policy and policing. Franklin believes that the criminal justice system is largely based on “creating evil so then we can have all these good guys to go fight it”, which needs to change. Franklin walks us through the nine Peelian Principles – […]

Here are 8 key take-aways from this interview with Debby Goldsberry on the 2010s:   2010 was a rough year for the already-established cannabis industry. Legalization meant pushing the small players off of the field. Big business began to dominate, since it became safe to do so. Goldsberry’s goal is to make the planet a […]

The Marijuana Justice Act is a great piece of legislation. It legalizes marijuana at the federal level and gets it off the schedule in the federal government. More and more people support this view. However, legalizing marijuana alone is not sufficient. There are real justice issues at stake. Many of the people who are in […]

Shanita Penny, of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, shares with us that the MCBA is currently pushing for as much equitable cannabis legislation as possible. For Penny, equity means “ensuring that we address the social justice and criminal justice reform aspects, that we make sure small businesses and minority-owned businesses have a place in this […]

Here are 6 key takeaways from this interview with Chuck Smith on HB-1090:   House Bill 1090 became law on May 29, 2019. It allows investment into Colorado’s cannabis industry from outside the state. The bill mirrors some of the growing pains of Amendment 64, passed on January 1, 2014. Guardrails and steering committees must […]

Steve Hawkins, Executive Director of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), discusses his hopes and predictions for upcoming cannabis policy in the United States. In particular, Hawkins believes that states should have the right to legalize cannabis in their own way without federal intrusion, as much more is possible at the state level. As well, Hawkins […]

Grover Norquist, Founder and President of Americans for Tax Reform, describes the inconsistencies of taxes imposed by the federal government. For Norquist, this is more than just a cannabis issue; this is an issue of federalism and states’ rights: “You wouldn’t want the federal government to go in and use federal tax policy to interfere […]

Regardless of party affiliation, culture, background, and gender, there is one thing we can all agree on when it comes to working and paying taxes. If that hard-earned money is going to waste, something needs to change. Generally speaking, the government isn’t known to handle their finances very well. Tax revenue spending and efficiency could […]