Cannabis Trade Federation Announces Federal Lobbying Team

PRESS RELEASE

Cannabis Trade Federation Announces Federal Lobbying Team

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Cannabis Trade Federation (CTF) announced it has formed the largest and most diverse federal lobbying team ever assembled by the cannabis industry or movement. This group will support CTF’s mission of passing the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act into law. With 15 principal lobbyists and over a dozen associates from five firms, CTF has assembled a team with coverage on every corner of Capitol Hill and in the Administration.

“Because of the conflict between federal and state cannabis laws, our industry is saddled with an effective federal tax rate of over 80% and is denied standard commercial banking services. We face the threat of the DOJ kicking in our doors, seizing our assets, and taking our freedom every day. Our crime? Running highly-regulated, state-legal, and compliant businesses,” said Neal Levine, CEO of the Cannabis Trade Federation. “The STATES Act fixes the conflict between the federal government and the states and therefore comprehensively addresses the most egregious issue facing our industry.”

The STATES Act, a bipartisan bill that has been endorsed by President Trump, was coauthored in the previous Congress in the U.S. Senate by Senator Cory Gardner (R–CO) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D–MA) and in the U.S. House by Rep. David Joyce (R–OH) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D–OR). The STATES Act amends the Controlled Substances Act to establish that any business operating in accordance with state cannabis law will not be in violation of the Controlled Substances Act.

The CTF lobbying team consists of the firms Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Jochum Shore & Trossevin, The Raben Group, Navigators Global, and theGROUP. CTF will also coordinate closely with other associations, non-profits, and individual lobbying firms who are working to pass the STATES Act and other cannabis reform legislation.

“It may be a heavy lift, but we’re not going to shy away from this fight,” said Levine. “This legislation is what we need as an industry, and we needed it yesterday.

“The cannabis industry directly employs well over 100,000 Americans, and hundreds of thousands indirectly. With 33 states plus D.C. opting out of federal prohibition in some form, the people have spoken. Every single day, hundreds of thousands of Americans are violating federal law by simply going to work. Their mortgages are at risk. Their health insurance is at risk. Their personal banking accounts are at risk. Their individual freedom is at risk. Congress must act to reinforce the will of the people and protect these hard-working Americans.”

About the Cannabis Trade Federation
The Cannabis Trade Federation is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization dedicated to educating and advocating for sensible cannabis public policy.

Media Contact:

Phil Anderson

[email protected]