The two largest cannabis industry groups in the U.S. – the National Cannabis Roundtable (NCR) and US Cannabis Council (USCC) – last week announced they are combining the organizations to form the United States Cannabis Roundtable (USCR). The group said the combination will establish “a singular voice” representing in the industry to the 119th Congress and the administration of President Donald Trump (R).
In a statement, Charlie Bachtell, CEO of Cresco Labs and chairperson of both NCR and USCC, called the newly elected Congress and the new presidential administration “a pivotal time for the regulated cannabis industry” noting that Trump “has publicly supported and pledged to advance commonsense cannabis reform.”
“As the chairman of both groups, I have seen first-hand the incredible talent of each organization and know that the combined group will be the unified authority advocating on behalf of the legal cannabis industry and a resource on all things cannabis for members of the Trump Administration and Congress.” — Bachtell in a press release
During the campaign Trump endorsed a states’ rights legislative approach to cannabis, reclassifying cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and the SAFE Banking Act, which the USCR described as priorities.
Former President Joe Biden (D) had directed the Justice Department to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III; however, the policy reforms were not finalized before the end of his term. A recent court hearing on the matter was canceled by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrative Law Judge John Mulrooney due to a legal challenge from advocacy groups Hemp for Victory and Village Farms International, Inc. who claimed the DEA’s opposition to rescheduling cannabis under the CSA makes the agency unfit to lead the rescheduling hearing and asked the judge to remove the DEA from the proceedings.
Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve and vice chair of NCR, said Trump’s “endorsement represents a sea change in cannabis policy and advocacy.”
“For the first time in history, a Republican president endorsed these initiatives,” Rivers said in a statement, “and our new combined organization will best position the industry to help the President get them over the finish line.”
The USCR will combine the political activities, lobbying efforts, and public-facing communications of the NCR and USCC and represent operators across 38 states and a substantial number of the 13,000 retail locations and nearly 450,000 full-time employees working in state-licensed cannabis industries.
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