The GOP’s evolving support for THC
Charles Koch is dealing.
The most prominent republican kingmaker of our generation is vocal about “the huge negative manifestations” cannabis prohibition has on individual liberties and society at large. Mega doner Koch last week committed $70 million to any and all candidates capable of beating Donald Trump in the primaries.
Follow the money.
As Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Chris Christie and others enter the debate stage next month, it’s not half baked to consider how their positions on decriminalization, Safe Banking and other legal industry expansion issues will evolve toward Koch’s more libertarian points of view on pot.
As we inch closer to the primary season, Kyle Jaeger of Marijuana Moment comprehensively tracks what is communicated about cannabis from every campaign and candidate and is a must read for those wanting to be in the know.
Scott, a ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, regularly is implored by non-partisan but traditionally republican-leaning banking associations to green light legislation that would allow federally insured financial institutions to invest in the ascending cannabis industry without penalty. While Florida governor DeSantis is not in favor of national decriminalization, last month he did sign a law friendly to medical patients and black farmers in the state. Former governors Haley and Christie respectively are for state’s rights and not locking anyone up for possession.
While there are few one-hit-issue voters who will support a candidate solely for his or her stance on cannabis decriminalization and industry expansion, a poll taken earlier this year by the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education and Regulation showed that 68 percent of likely republican primary and caucus voters support the end of federal prohibition on cannabis.
Might weed be a wedge issue for the general election in 2024?
When Joe Biden was sworn into office in 2021 with both chambers of congress controlled by the democrats, conventional wisdom among cannabis capitalists was that Safe Banking and other industry-friendly issues like 280e would soon be signed into law. Stocks for U.S.-based publicly traded cannabis corporations boomed as speculators bet that more capital would soon enter the market.
One year later, after it became apparent that Biden would not prioritize cannabis, investors in publicly-traded and privately-held state-sanctioned operators began to steadily pull their money out of the industry. When Safe Banking failed to pass a lame duck session in congress last December before Republicans took control of the House, proponents on both sides of the aisle along with their industry supporters were forced to enter 2023 with a new game plan.
A big target among advocates are republican senators and representatives who are neutral to positive on Safe Banking, but have not to date been inclined to lead on the issue. Last month the first ever Cannabis Super Pac, LegalizeAmerica, was formed by leading U.S. cannabis companies as a vehicle to mobilize grassroots support on an issue that today is more green than red or blue.
Voters are typically ahead of elected officials on societal trends like cannabis. With a national election on the horizon, it may be time for politicians seeking the highest office in the land to update their pot platforms.
Is it a pipe dream to believe that the chance to become leader of the free world depends on where any one candidate stands on the issue?
Calling all Cannabis Industry leaders
Help ensure Illinois’ leadership position
Do you have the vision to look beyond today and the courage to act to ensure that Illinois maintains its leadership position when the federal government removes the shackles slowing the industry’s growth?
Then you need to be in the room on July 27th and August 10th.
Currently, Illinois has as much right as any region to stake a claim as the “Silicon Valley of Cannabis.” Five of the 10 largest U.S. cannabis companies operate out of Chicago as do dozens of businesses and nonprofit organizations that have grown up to service the nascent industry.
Will Illinois be able to say the same thing in 2030?
To ensure that the state remains at the forefront of the industry and fills the national leadership void that’s resulted in mixed messages and inactivity in Washington, the Illinois cannabis industry needs to act…NOW. The action has to be inclusive and intentional. That can’t happen without a plan.
As the industry’s connector and catalyst, Grown In is bringing together all industry players with a stake in seeing the cannabis industry shake the doldrums and revitalize the momentum that has allowed us to become a $30 billion industry in scarcely more than a decade in spite of a headwind of federal resistance. That’s a good start, but we’re struggling to sustain the momentum. If we truly become a mass consumer market, $300 billion should be in our sights.
Join us on July 27 and August 10
If you want to help shape the future of cannabis, and the role that Chicago and Illinois will play in that future, put these dates on your calendar, NOW. Grown In will be convening the State’s cannabis leaders to begin the process of developing and executing a plan to exert Illinois’ cannabis leadership and drive the industry’s growth and development.
If you want to help shape the future of cannabis, and the role that Chicago and Illinois will play in that future, put these dates on your calendar, NOW. Grown In will be convening the State’s cannabis leaders to begin the process of developing and executing a plan to exert Illinois’ cannabis leadership and drive the industry’s growth and development.
To be patterned after the Burnham Plan that was responsible for reigniting the commercial development of Chicago in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire, our Burn ‘Em Plan™ will be the roadmap to drive the cannabis industry to fully recognize its potential with Illinois remaining in the leadership position.
The last time Chicago had a head start on a new industry was 30 years ago when the commercial internet was invented at the University of Illinois. But industry pioneer Marc Andreessen was not supported by local investment, corporate and civic communities. He took his talents and his company, Netscape, to – you guessed it – Silicon Valley.
Are you a stakeholder in the success of cannabis in Illinois? Are you willing to work alongside industry CEOs and other leaders to ensure that success?
Click here for more information and to let us know you would like to be in the room on July 27th and August 10th when the planning for the next generation of cannabis leadership gets underway.
