Marijuana Industry Group Announces new leadership to tackle reform in a divided Congress

The U.S. Cannabis Council, a coalition of marijuana stakeholders and advocacy organizations, has named a new Executive Director and made other changes to its leadership in order to navigate cannabis reform during a divided Congress.

Edward Conklin will be the executive director of the advocacy group. He was previously the vice-chairman of the USCC board and worked as the chief lobbyist for cannabis company Curaleaf. Conklin replaces interim CEO Khadijah Tribble who stepped in when the organization’s founder executive director Steve Hawkins departed last year.

Jessica Billingsley is the chair of USCC’s board of directors and CEO of Akerna. She said Conklin has “the kind of high stakes, government relations experience required to progress cannabis reform in Washington.” Billingsley added that she “worked with him for years,” and believes he’s uniquely positioned to “take the helm.”

Canopy CEO David Klein and Curaleaf vice president of government relations Matt Harrell, as well as representatives from the cannabis businesses GTI & Verano will join the board. Dan Pabon, former Colorado Rep. (D), will be vice chair.

David Culver will replace Bo Bryant who retired recently as USCC’s head of policy. He was previously the head of government relations at Canopy International, a marijuana-related international company.

Culver, who hosted an interview program called “Under the Canopy,” in his previous role, featuring top lawmakers, and industry players, told Marijuana Moment on Wednesday in a telephone interview that he is optimistic about the prospects of reform this session. However, he added, it would be dependent on the advocacy groups and trade association becoming more aligned around shared goals.

We’ve already seen many joint efforts among the trade associations. Culver stated that he believes we will see more of this. “I believe that all the advocates who are working on Capitol Hill to address the most important cannabis issues are rowing in a similar direction. It’s good to see that everyone is on the same page. It’s important for us to succeed.”

We are thrilled to announce publicly our new senior leaders, board members, and officers. The board approved the changes this week, which will help us achieve our ambitious goals by 2023. Read more at https://t.co/miQssrbzqz

US Cannabis Council April 27, 2019 HTML0

The USCC, which was founded in 2021, and other advocacy groups will face a major challenge in the 118th Congress: building bipartisan support for legislation that can pass through a divided Congress with Republicans controlling the House.

Culver stated that it is important to learn from the failure of Democrats to pass major reforms during the previous Congress when they controlled both chambers.

He said, “It was disappointing.” “We all in the cannabis industry went into this thinking that we would accomplish a lot of things, but we didn’t. It was hard. “It was hard to end last December.”

He said, “I get up every morning, despite the fact that there is a divided Congress in 2023, incredibly optimistic regarding reform measures.” “I think one of the biggest changes to the strategy will be the introduction of different packages in the Senate and letting them lead this.”

Last week, Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer (DNY) and several other legislators gave a similar optimistic outlook about what is possible in the cannabis sector this year. They spoke at a 4/20 celebration at the U.S. Capitol.

Schumer promised to “work as hard as possible” to promote reform. He announced plans to resubmit his comprehensive federal cannabis legalization bill, while continuing to work on a more modest package of cannabis legislation.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ, said that lawmakers were working on “resurrecting” the SAFE Plus package relating to cannabis banking and expungements. He acknowledged that the failure to provide a financial solution for the industry would “literally mean that hundreds of businesses will go out of business”.

Culver believes that a stand-alone Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act, , which was reintroduced in both chambers , can be passed in the current Congress. While he would prefer comprehensive legalization, Culver argued it is important for advocates to unite and work together on incremental reforms that are achievable.

He said that despite the fact that SAFE Banking was supported by both Democrats and Republicans in the last session, there was “still discomfort” with equity-centered provisions proposed last year as part of SAFE Plus.

In recent weeks a number of House marijuana bills were filed, including bipartisan proposals to encourage state and local cannabis expulsions; to allow marijuana businesses to take federal tax deductions; to protect the Second Amendment rights for cannabis consumers; and to prepare the federal government to eventual legalization.

Culver stated that “we’re excited that [SAFE Banking] would be amended at some stage before it is passed in the Senate, in a manner that can really address other major issues on which USCC has focused–like expungements and access to veterans and preparing that ultimate federal regulatory framework.”

The reform push isn’t only about getting more legislators on board. They will also have to work with industry advocates who are growing more concerned about the role played by multi-state operators , and corporate consolidation.

Culver stated, “This is a concern I have heard for years.” This year we have a political hand that will most likely focus on incremental reform.

He said: “I believe that this incremental reform will be very important in helping MSOs and small operators. I also know that it will,” he added. “Many operators are hanging by a thin thread because they lack access to capital.”

Culver said that the SAFE Banking Act would be “transformative” for many small businesses, as well as equity licensees across the nation. We intended for this group to have a wide-ranging scope. It’s still our intention.

Another challenge facing the coalition is finding the right balance between federal reform and state-level initiatives. Culver stated that if he had his way, the USCC would have a “full government relations program with state governments” to promote state reforms at the same time as the organization worked to build consensus on cannabis legislation in Congress.

He said that many successful trade associations do this in Washington, and I believe we should replicate it. It’s all about resources.

Billingsley, USCC’s Billingsley, said in a recent press release that his organization “gains vital new members and talents.”

She said, “We’re confident that we can achieve meaningful reforms this year. We will work tirelessly to end federal prohibition and encourage restorative justice in impacted communities.” “On behalf USCC and its member, I would like to express my gratitude to Khadijah Tribble for her commitment and contribution to USCC as well as to Edward Conklin for his hard work and future achievements.”