Marijuana government regulators, trade associations and businesses are meeting for a two-day conference beginning on Monday to help chart a path forward as the state-by-state legalization movement continues to grow amid relative federal stagnation. The cannabis stakeholders will strategize about a wide range of policy considerations ranging from promoting equity in the industry to interstate commerce to creating rules around emerging cannabinoids.<\/p>\n
Details of the closed-to-press gathering, organized by the non-partisan Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA), were shared exclusively with Marijuana Moment ahead of the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe felt like this was an opportunity for us to more formally introduce ourselves to stakeholders and formalize some of those relationships and hear a wide range of perspectives in person, to be able to hear different views,\u201d CANNRA Executive Director Gillian Schauer told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview.<\/p>\n
There will be about a dozen panels, each of which are designed to inform the people in charge of regulating a medley of state and local cannabis programs as the policy landscape continues to expand and evolve.<\/p>\n
For example, there will be a panel moderated by a representative of the Michigan Cannabis Regulation Agency (MCRA) that broadly examines the \u201cstate and federal roles in a future national marketplace.\u201d Panelists will include members of the U.S. Cannabis Council (USCC), Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR), Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR) and National Cannabis Roundtable (NCR).<\/p>\n
Andrew Brisbo, president of CANNRA and the top Michigan cannabis regulator, told Marijuana Moment that he\u2019s \u201cvery interested to hear about the perspectives of organizations that are evaluating the various proposals on federal policy reform,\u201d especially given the direct impact those proposals will have on state regulatory operations.<\/p>\n
Schauer echoed that point and added that the organization has a vested interest in \u201cprotecting consumer safety, on promoting equity and on creating predictability for for operators in the marketplace and licensees.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the topics that we\u2019re going to be discussing will do a lot to give us more insight there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Interstate commerce will be among those topics, with a panel moderated by an official from the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission that will involve discussions with groups like the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and the U.S. Hemp Roundtable.<\/p>\n
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission will host another panel dealing with tax policy and the illicit market. RAND\u2019s Drug Policy Research Center and Whitney Economics will participate in that conversation.<\/p>\n
A key point of interest for regulators and stakeholders alike in emerging cannabis markets is social and economic equity\u2014and specifically, how to achieve equity through policymaking that recognizes the disproportionate harms that minority communities have historically suffered under criminalization.<\/p>\n
To that end, there\u2019s a two-tier panel scheduled for Monday afternoon titled \u201cSocial and Economic Equity & Social Justice: Challenges, Opportunities, and a Reality Check.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first panel will be run by a representative of California\u2019s Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), with other participants including members of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, NCIA, USCC, CPEAR and Supernova Women.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is another topic that we\u2019ve had so many conversations about at CANNRA,\u201d Schauer said. \u201cI think every state regulator would probably tell you that there\u2019s still a lot of opportunity for them to do better in this space. And that\u2019s one of the reasons why there continues to be so much interest from state regulators and trying to figure out, how are we doing and what can we do better?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge that regulators sometimes have is, this isn\u2019t as easy as waving a magic wand and doing what\u2019s right,\u201d she said. \u201cIn most cases, policy, to change, has to go through legislatures and has to go through a whole process. And we all know that that doesn\u2019t happen fast enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the reality check is going to be important and talking about what\u2019s truly feasible, and what the low-hanging fruit is in the space will be of great interest to our members to try to continue to do better in the space because there\u2019s such opportunity and such a need to do better and prioritize this,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The second panel for the equity component will involve the Last Prisoner Project and Code for America, both of which have independently worked to promote equity in the industry and hold states accountable for achieving the criminal justice reform goals of legalization through expungements, for example.<\/p>\n
The Minnesota Office of Medical Cannabis will moderate another panel on Monday titled \u201cPreventing Youth Access, Promoting Consumer Safety, & Protecting Public Health in State Markets,\u201d with representatives of groups like Responsibility.org, Truth Initiative, National Safety Council, Public Health Institute and the Association of Food and Drug Officials participating.<\/p>\n
On day two of the conference\u2014which is being attended by members of certain cannabis coalitions and industry associations who were specifically invited by CANNRA after consultation with a seven-member board\u2014there will be another panel of growing interest for the industry. It will tackle the \u201cregulatory, health and market implications\u201d of novel, hemp-derived cannabinoids like delta-8 THC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019ll be very interesting,\u201d Schauer said, though she stressed the importance of keeping the conversations \u201chigh enough level that it doesn\u2019t get so scientific that we lose people\u201d because \u201cone of the challenges with talking about hemp-derived products is you quickly can feel like you\u2019re not following if you\u2019re not a chemist, and that\u2019s not going to serve the attendees or our regulators.\u201d<\/p>\n
Questions that will be raised in that panel will be about \u201cwhat are the considerations and challenges in drawing a line and figuring out what [cannabinoids are] impairing and what\u2019s not, and figuring out what the end-use of a product might be.\u201d Participants will discuss \u201cwhat happens with the federal landscape\u201d as these derivatives emerge on the market, and how that might affect legislation like future large-scale agriculture bills?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we could see this topic bleeding into some other panels as well,\u201d Brisbo said, \u201cbecause it is driving conversation around broader topics about the evolution of the industry and how challenging it is to keep up with innovation and ensure that the approach that is taken both federally and in states recognizes those market evolutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other panels scheduled for Tuesday will address topics such as regulatory standardization, seed-to-sale tracking systems, the role of technology in licensing and registration systems and B2B and B2C cannabis commerce. Marijuana regulators from Colorado, Nevada and Massachusetts will be moderating panels on those subjects, and participants will include major associations and companies like the National Conference on Weights and Measure, Weedmaps, Leafly and Leaflink.<\/p>\n
Finally, the concluding panel is called \u201cA Regulator\u2019s Perspective\u2013State regulatory alignment, differences, and challenges.\u201d CANNRA will moderate the conversation with representatives from cannabis regulatory agencies from Washington State, Hawaii, Florida, Michigan and Connecticut.<\/p>\n
For those interested in monitoring cannabis policy, it may well come as a disappointment that an event featuring high-level discussions between state marijuana officials and representatives from many of the companies they are charged with regulating is not open to the public or media. And the fact that CPEAR, which receives funding from alcohol and tobacco interests, is participating in at least two panels may draw extra criticism from activists who feel skeptical about the organization\u2019s involvement in informing regulatory policy.<\/p>\n
Asked about the decision to make the conference a closed-door affair, Schauer said that, \u201cbecause we are an organization of government officials, there are some parameters around who we invited.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did not invite any direct licensees,\u201d she said. \u201cThere may be some in the room representing trade associations or coalitions that they\u2019re with\u2014and that was a decision to try to have balance and not show favoritism to one type of licensee or one state, but to try to engage as many of the trade associations and coalitions as we could to gain that perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope this event will become an annual event,\u201d Schauer continued. \u201cAnd we would certainly look to expand who is under that umbrella [of attendees] based on how things go at this meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a small but mighty organization\u2014and I\u2019m really proud of what we\u2019ve done in our first year and a half<\/a>,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n CANNRA, which represents 40 U.S. states and territories in the cannabis regulatory space, also recently sent a letter to Congress<\/a> explaining what the current lack of access to banking services for the marijuana industry means\u2014not just for the businesses and the programs they oversee, but for the regulators navigating this federal-state conflict themselves.<\/p>\n Read the full agenda for this week\u2019s CANNRA conference below:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Monday, June 6th<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n 8-8:30 AM: Registration and Continental Breakfast<\/strong><\/p>\n 8:30-9:00 AM: Welcome and Opening\u00a0<\/strong>Remarks<\/strong><\/p>\n 9:00-9:45\u00a0AM:\u00a0An\u00a0Overview of Federal Initiatives, Priorities, and\u00a0<\/strong>Needs<\/strong><\/p>\n Allotted time for any federal agencies in attendance to share updates on current relevant agency work.<\/p>\n 9:45-10:45\u00a0AM:\u00a0<\/strong>Federal cannabis policy: Coalition views on state and federal roles in a future national marketplace\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Session Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>Michigan Cannabis Regulation Agency<\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n U.S. Cannabis Council<\/p>\n Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation<\/p>\n Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation<\/p>\n National Cannabis Roundtable<\/p>\n 10:45-11:00 AM: Mid-morning break<\/strong><\/p>\n 11:00-12:00 PM: Interstate Commerce: Impacts on markets, licensing, and consumer\u00a0<\/strong>safety\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Session Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n National Cannabis Industry Association<\/p>\n Perkins Coie<\/p>\n MPG<\/p>\n Americans for Safe Access<\/p>\n U.S. Hemp Roundtable<\/p>\n 12:00<\/strong>-12:45 PM: Tax, price, and illicit market: Lessons learned and future directions\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Session Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n Drug Policy Research Center, RAND<\/p>\n Whitney Economics<\/p>\n SICPA North America<\/p>\n 12:45-1:30 PM: Lunch 1:<\/strong>30-3:00 PM: Social and Economic Equity\u00a0&\u00a0Social Justice: Challenges, Opportunities, and a Reality Check.<\/strong><\/p>\n Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>California Dept. of Cannabis Control<\/p>\n 1:30-2:30 \u2013 Achieving Social and Economic Equity in the Industry: Where are we now and where do we need to be?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n Minority Cannabis Business Association<\/p>\n National Cannabis Industry Association<\/p>\n Social Equity & Inclusion, U.S. Cannabis Council<\/p>\n Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation<\/p>\n Supernova Women<\/p>\n 2:30-3:00 \u2013 Social Justice: Following through on legalization\u2019s promise\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n Last Prisoner Project<\/p>\n Code for America<\/p>\n 3:00-3:15 PM: Afternoon break 3:<\/strong>15<\/strong>\u20134:<\/strong>15\u00a0PM: Preventing Youth Access, Promoting Consumer Safety, & Protecting Public Health in State Markets\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Session Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>Minnesota Office of Medical Cannabis<\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n Responsibility.org<\/p>\n Truth Initiative<\/p>\n National Safety Council<\/p>\n Public Health Institute<\/p>\n Association of Food and Drug Officials<\/p>\n 4:15-5:00 PM: How Data and Technology can help future policy making: Public Health, Regulatory, and Industry Data Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n Session Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>Maine Office of Cannabis Policy<\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n NCS Analytics<\/p>\n Multnomah County Health Department<\/p>\n Cannabis Public Policy Consulting<\/p>\n University of Waterloo<\/p>\n 5PM \u2013 Dinner<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Tuesday, June 7th 8-8:30 AM: Registration and Continental Breakfast<\/strong><\/p>\n 8:30-8:45 AM: Welcome, Brief Day 1 recap, Day 2 preview<\/strong><\/p>\n 8:45-<\/strong>10:00\u00a0AM:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Hemp: Emergence and Proliferation of Novel Cannabinoids \u2013 regulatory, health, and market implications\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Session Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>Cannabis Regulators Association\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n Kentucky Department of Agriculture<\/p>\n U.S. Hemp Roundtable<\/p>\n American Trade Association for Cannabis & Hemp<\/p>\n Natural Products Association<\/p>\n Jazz Pharmaceuticals<\/p>\n Attorney General Alliance<\/p>\n 10:00-10:15 AM: Mid-morning break<\/strong><\/p>\n 10:15<\/strong>-1<\/strong>1:15 AM:\u00a0Standards in Cannabis Regulation: Updates on efforts to establish common standards, challenges to the work, and ways state and federal officials can help<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Session Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n ASTM D37 Committee<\/p>\n US Pharmacopeia<\/p>\n AOAC Research Institute<\/p>\n National Conference on Weights and Measures<\/p>\n 11:15-12:00 PM: Regulatory Service Providers:\u00a0 Seed to sale and track and trace systems \u2013 Lessons learned and pathways forward<\/strong><\/p>\n Session Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board<\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n METRC<\/p>\n Akerna<\/p>\n BioTrack, Forian\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n 12:00-12:45 PM: Lunch 12:45<\/strong>-1:15 PM: Regulatory Service Providers:\u00a0 Technology Advances in Licensing and Registration systems<\/strong><\/p>\n Session Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board<\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n Tyler Technologies<\/p>\n Thentia Cloud<\/p>\n Veritec<\/p>\n 1:15-2:15 PM: National B2B and B2C Cannabis Commerce: From Data to Delivery\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Session Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission<\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n Leaflink<\/p>\n Dutchie<\/p>\n Weedmaps<\/p>\n Leafly<\/p>\n Lantern<\/p>\n 2:15-3:15 PM:\u00a0A Regulator\u2019s Perspective \u2013 State regulatory alignment, differences, and challenges<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n Session Moderator:\u00a0<\/em>Cannabis Regulators Association<\/p>\n Panelists:<\/em><\/p>\n Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board<\/p>\n Hawaii Office of Medical Cannabis Control and Regulation<\/p>\n Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use<\/p>\n Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency<\/p>\n Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection<\/p>\n 3:15-3:30 PM: Meeting wrap up, next steps, and adjourn<\/strong><\/p>\n California Task Force Highlights Racist Drug War Policies In Report On Reparations For Black Americans<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Marijuana Regulators And Stakeholders Hold Closed-Door Conference To Discuss Future Of Reform And Industry Challenges<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Marijuana government regulators, trade associations and businesses are meeting for a two-day conference beginning on Monday to help chart a path forward as the state-by-state legalization movement continues to grow amid relative federal stagnation. The cannabis stakeholders will strategize about a wide range of policy considerations ranging from promoting equityContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55065"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55066,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55065\/revisions\/55066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: Marijuana Regulators And Stakeholders Hold Closed-Door Conference To Discuss Future Of Reform And Industry Challenges<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"