A major alcohol industry association is officially backing federal marijuana legalization, sending a letter to congressional leadership on Wednesday that implores lawmakers to \u201cregulate adult-use cannabis at the federal level.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) said that \u201cthe current conflict between state and federal law is not only causing adverse consequences for consumers and non-consumers of cannabis but will also have long-term public health and safety costs that are too great to ignore.\u201d<\/p>\n
The association made two main points in its letter: 1) the current system for the regulation of alcohol \u201cserves as a strong model\u201d for cannabis and 2) a \u201cpiecemeal\u201d approach to marijuana reform is untenable, so lawmakers should \u201ccomprehensively\u201d address the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact is cannabis legalization at the state level is here to stay, as evidenced by nearly a decade\u00a0 of new legalization efforts and no meaningful effort to undo them. Rather, the states that have legalized are expanding their markets and even discussing ways to begin interstate commerce of the product. Yet they receive no support from the federal government in determining how to ensure that products are safe or that the market is fair\u2014especially as that market becomes increasingly national in scope.\u201d<\/p>\n
The letter, which was noted<\/a> earlier by Politico, also emphasizes that states should be able to \u201cmaintain the flexibility to legalize\u2014or not legalize\u2014cannabis within their borders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAddressing cannabis federally in a piecemeal manner amounts to de facto federal legalization without protecting consumers and non-consumers alike,\u201d WSWA wrote in the letter<\/a> to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). \u201cThe current fragmentary approach widens the door for the negative impacts of cannabis legalization without additional safeguards for public health and public safety. By not taking action, the federal government is also losing out on tax revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n It also makes a point to endorse the idea of having the federal government open the doors to interstate cannabis commerce\u2014a position widely embraced by industry stakeholders and lawmakers in a growing number of states.<\/p>\n WSWA pointed to a policy brief it first drafted in 2021 that lays out regulatory priorities that the association says lawmakers should keep in mind as members work to replace prohibition with a legalization framework.<\/p>\n The brief<\/a> says that policymakers should draw from the experience of alcohol regulations to develop a model for marijuana that promotes industry competition, innovation and public safety.<\/p>\n The transition from alcohol prohibition to legalization represents \u201can American success story\u201d that should be replicated with cannabis, it said.<\/p>\n Again, the association isn\u2019t suggesting that federal regulations should totally supplant those that have been established in states across the U.S., but some level of regulatory oversight and taxation could support those programs and help normalize the cannabis sector.<\/p>\n WSWA detailed four key principles for federal oversight of an adult-use marijuana supply chain:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. The federal permitting of cannabis producers, importers, testing facilities and distributors.<\/strong><\/p>\n The association said states should manage licensing for marijuana retailers, but it recommended that the federal government require permits for cannabis producers, importers, testing facilities and distributors through the Department of Treasury\u2019s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).<\/p>\n 2. The approval and regulation of cannabis products.<\/strong><\/p>\n New cannabis products should be subject to pre-market approval and federal registration, also through TTB, the association said. That would support existing quality control policies that are in place at the state level.<\/p>\n A standardized label should be included on all marijuana items, too. They should feature information, at a minimum, about the product name, THC potency, net content, producer name and address, a government health warning and the country of origin (for imports).<\/p>\n 3. The efficient and effective collection of federal excise tax.<\/strong><\/p>\n WSWA advised that a federal excise tax should be imposed for cannabis products at the producer or importer level, and it should be based on potency just as beverages are taxed based on alcohol concentration. The taxes should be payable to TTB on a semimonthly basis.<\/p>\n 4. Effective measures to ensure public safety.<\/strong><\/p>\n With respect to public safety, the association focused on deterring impaired driving, and it said that lawmakers should prioritize collaborative partnerships with law enforcement and researchers to develop technology that can identify active impairment from cannabis while also funding training for drug recognition experts on the roads.<\/p>\n WSWA, which came out in support of states rights to legalize cannabis<\/a> in 2018, ended its policy brief by explaining why it\u2019s taking this step to advise on federal reform. Since the end of alcohol prohibition, a \u201csafe and economically vibrant marketplace has developed\u2014one that serves the dual needs of regulators and consumers,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile individual regulations have been modified over time, the basic federal regulatory structure of permitting and tax collection has stood the test of time,\u201d WSWA\u2019s paper says.\u00a0\u201cAs policymakers consider the future of adult-use cannabis, we believe it is important to share the learnings of our industry. America\u2019s wine and spirits wholesalers are a proud part of this system and believe that the principles outlined here can be extended to a national adult-use cannabis system.\u201d<\/p>\n The House has twice passed bills to federally legalize and regulate marijuana, but comprehensive reform hasn\u2019t advanced in the Senate, despite leadership having introduced much-anticipated legislation<\/a> to end prohibition last session.<\/p>\n A key difference between that bill from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the alcohol association concerns the distribution of regulatory responsibility. Advocates have worried about the Senate measure\u2019s deference to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and it\u2019s likely that WSWA\u2019s position on having basic oversight managed by TTB would prove more acceptable to many stakeholders.<\/p>\n An earlier WSWA press release on the policy brief contains strong language about the need to lower barriers to entry for those who\u2019ve been \u201cvictimized by the federal government\u2019s failed war on drugs,\u201d as well as its support for \u201cefforts of experts who advocate for other social equity measures to alleviate the damage done to these communities.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the brief itself is light on recommendations to that end, simply including a note that people with \u201cnon-violent cannabis-related offenses that occurred prior to federal legalization\/descheduling\u201d should not be disqualified from receiving federal permits to operate marijuana businesses. The proposal does not provide for any prioritization in permitting for people from communities damaged by the drug war.<\/p>\n Legalization advocates say WSWA\u2019s involvement could bolster efforts to get lawmakers to look more seriously at the issue.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s with a nervous excitement that we welcome WSWA into the lobbying efforts to end federal marijuana prohibition,\u201d Justin Strekal, founder of BOWL PAC, told Marijuana Moment. \u201cWith WSWA\u2019s footprint of members in nearly every state and congressional district, there is no better time than now to engage lawmakers both in D.C. and at home about the need to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and implement a regulatory structure that fosters an environment for small and medium-sized businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n But Strekal also said he would like to see more of an equity focus in the group\u2019s recommendations.<\/p>\n \u201cPointed policy suggestions regarding criminal justice reform that align with groups like the Marijuana Justice Coalition would be very welcome in their second draft,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n (Disclosure: Strekal supports Marijuana Moment\u2019s work through a monthly pledge on Patreon<\/a>.)<\/p>\n After coming out in support of states\u2019 rights to legalize cannabis in 2018, WSWA held a briefing on Capitol Hill to inform lawmakers and congressional staffers<\/a> about its position.<\/p>\n In 2021, the association also endorsed a Senate bill<\/a> to allow hemp derivatives such as CBD to be used in consumable products like foods, drinks and dietary supplements.<\/p>\n Congressional Researchers Lay Out Six Key Limitations Of Biden\u2019s Marijuana Pardons<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post Major Alcohol Industry Association Calls For Federal Marijuana Legalization, Recommending Regulatory Framework<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A major alcohol industry association is officially backing federal marijuana legalization, sending a letter to congressional leadership on Wednesday that implores lawmakers to \u201cregulate adult-use cannabis at the federal level.\u201d The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) said that \u201cthe current conflict between state and federal law is notContinue 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":[1335,18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62884"}],"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=62884"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62885,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62884\/revisions\/62885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Major Alcohol Industry Association Calls For Federal Marijuana Legalization, Recommending Regulatory Framework<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"