MJBizMag March 2022 - 8

FROM THE EDITOR Kate Lavin
Joining the Game in Progress
How to create change when authorities say, 'Do not pass go'
S
peaking on the main stage
at MJBizCon 2021, cannabis
lobbyist Saphira Galoob
pointed out that expecting
dramatic federal change to
happen all at once is futile.
Instead, she said, there are many
possible pathways to marijuana
reform.
MJBizDaily graphic designer
Katie Ruland breathed life into
that idea for this month's cover
(see the full illustration on page
28). The future of cannabis regulation,
like many board games,
includes a variety of twists and
turns, characters and outcomes.
Of course, marijuana reform is
not a game-especially for medical
cannabis patients and those
serving prison terms for drug-related
crimes. But as you will see
in the cover package, written by
Omar Sacirbey, Jeff Smith and John
Schroyer, many decision-makers in
Washington DC do seem to view
marijuana reform as a game of
political one-upmanship.
From prohibiting legislation
from reaching the Senate floor
to potentially stripping the SAFE
Banking Act from a must-pass
defense bill so their legislation
can be considered first, federal
lawmakers have engaged in shady
tactics that do little to further the
wishes of the American public.
Time to Take
Responsibility
According to the Pew Research
Center in Washington DC, 91% of
Americans want to see medical
marijuana legalized nationwide,
8 March 2022 | MJBizMagazine
and 60% of U.S. adults are in
favor of legalizing recreational
marijuana.
So, what is the holdup?
As evidenced by the 2018 U.S.
Farm Bill, which inadvertently
legalized delta-8 THC, an intoxicating
cannabinoid derived from
hemp, lawmakers should proceed
with caution when regulating
marijuana. But that is no excuse
for stalling progress to become
the face of marijuana reform.
While no one is claiming
responsibility for removing SAFE
Banking from legislation passed
in December, someone did it, and
cannabis companies are paying
the price.
The Road Less Traveled
If elected officials aren't acting
fast enough, other avenues exist
to achieve marijuana reform,
although those present their own
challenges.
Rescheduling marijuana through
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration,
for example, could be a
boon to well-capitalized medical
research businesses. But it would
do little to solve the challenges
facing state-legal marijuana companies
and might even make their
operations more difficult.
Arguing for an end to prohibition
through the legal system
is another option, although the
U.S. Supreme Court has indicated
that administrative avenues such
as petitioning the DEA must be
exhausted before the justices will
hear such a case.
The avenues to achieve real
From prohibiting
legislation from
reaching the Senate
floor to potentially
stripping the SAFE
Banking Act from a
must-pass defense bill
so their legislation can
be considered first,
federal lawmakers
have engaged in shady
tactics that do little to
further the wishes of
the American public.
change are plentiful and overlapping.
This month's cover package
takes a nuanced view at the most
likely pathways for issues such as
banking, decriminalization, veterans'
access to cannabis and more.
Familiarize yourself with the
various actions currently taking
place. That way, when reform
does arrive, your business can be a
winner.
Kate Lavin is the editor
of MJBizMagazine. Reach
her at kate.lavin@
mjbizdaily.com.
MJBizMag March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MJBizMag March 2022
