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Colorado-based marijuana entrepreneur Wanda James is running for Congress, pledging to push for a complete end to federal cannabis prohibition if she\u2019s elected. Anything short of legalization\u2014whether that\u2019s a bill focused on industry banking access or another incremental reform such as rescheduling\u2014won\u2019t cut it, she says.<\/p>\n
James, who owns the Denver dispensary Simply Pure, is challenging Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) in next year\u2019s Democratic primary to represent Colorado\u2019s 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. She spoke about her cannabis legalization platform at a MJBizCon event on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo banking bill will save us. No half step will fix this. No incremental tweak will correct decades of damage,\u201d she said in a press release ahead of the conference. \u201cOnly legalization gives this industry oxygen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly legalization ends 280E. Only legalization ends the raids. Only legalization ends the fear,\u201d she said, referring to the existing policy preventing cannabis businesses from taking federal tax deductions and broadly putting companies at risk of federal enforcement action. \u201cOnly legalization stops the fragmented nonsense that destroys operators while confusing the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd let me be very clear about something else,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is not a fight between hemp and cannabis. It is the same plant. The same history. The same communities. The same families. The same disrespect. It\u2019s time to send someone to Congress who will meet the moment our industry demands.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement on her campaign site, James similarly said she will \u201cchampion legislation to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) entirely\u201d if elected. Simply rescheduling the plant or kicking the can down the road with \u201cadministrative delays\u201d is insufficient, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFull legalization. PERIOD,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is the only way to move forward with federal safety standards, interstate commerce, banking access, and national market stability.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Congress, I will work with reform-minded officials, veterans in both parties, and economic innovation committees to ensure legalization is implemented quickly, safely, and with strong public-health and consumer protections,\u201d James added<\/a>.<\/p>\n Today, I\u2019m launching #LegalizeNOW<\/a> \u2014 not reschedule, not half-measures.\u2070 \u2014 Wanda4congress (@wanda4congress) December 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n The campaign statement also said James would push for legislative reform that involves putting marijuana tax revenue toward community reinvestment initiatives supporting \u201caffordable housing, mental-health services, childcare assistance, public-school improvements, and neighborhood economic development.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis approach ensures that legalization becomes a tool to lift families, support working people, and rebuild ALL communities harmed by decades of discriminatory and wasteful enforcement,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The candidate further said she\u2019d \u201cpush for a federal equity framework that ensures communities disproportionately impacted by criminalization receive licensing priority, business development support, and access to federal grants and low-interest capital.\u201d<\/p>\n James said the regulatory approach to marijuana she\u2019d support would prevent \u201ccorporate consolidation from wiping out small operators and the pioneers who built this industry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will fight for antitrust protections, federal loan access, and fair interstate commerce rules that allow small businesses to compete without being crushed by multinational interests,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I will push for clear federal packaging, testing, and transportation standards so entrepreneurs can scale responsibly across state lines.\u201d<\/p>\n Also, as a military veteran herself, James said she\u2019d pursue reform that\u2019d allow doctors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recommend medical cannabis to the veteran population \u201cwithout fear of penalty or bureaucratic barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2023, James approached then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at an event focused on higher education and pressed him on stalled-out marijuana banking legislation<\/a>, expressing how Black entrepreneurs in the industry are broadly supportive of the incremental reform to free up banks and credit unions to work with state-licensed cannabis businesses.<\/p>\n \u201cI would be thrilled to see more and more movement on this. However\u2014make no mistake\u2014first and foremost, we must get basic banking over the finish line,\u201d she told Marijuana Moment at the time, adding that her own personal bank accounts were closed recently due to her involvement in the marijuana industry.<\/p>\n James is also an elected regent at the University of Colorado, and her role in the marijuana industry became a point of contention leading to a formal censure by the Board of Regents after she criticized an advertisement campaign warning of the risks of cannabis use that she called racist because of its portrayal of Black people using marijuana.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a victory for me, because we have completely exposed the University of Colorado\u2019s issues with race,\u201d she said<\/a> of the censure. \u201cWe have been able to lay them bare for the world to see, and I could not be more proud of my community and the people who have stood with truth and stood against anti-Blackness.\u201d<\/p>\n Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) responded to the board\u2019s censure action, writing that the \u201cFirst Amendment protects the right to free expression,\u201d and neither \u201ca White House executive order nor a public university policy can override this fundamental right.\u201d<\/p>\n The First Amendment protects the right to free expression. Neither a White House executive order nor a public university policy can override this fundamental right. I am concerned that the CU Board of Regents action sanctioning Regent Wanda James did just that. Thread 👇<\/p>\n \u2014 Phil Weiser (@pweiser) July 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI am concerned that the CU Board of Regents action sanctioning Regent Wanda James did just that,\u201d he said. \u201cTo protect the right of free expression and the fair treatment of CU Regent James, the Board of Regents would do well to reconsider its action against her. Leaving this action in place not only raises questions of fairness, it undermines CD1\u2019s representation on the Board.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Last year, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) called<\/a> James a \u201cforce of nature,\u201d recognizing her influence in the marijuana policy debate and historic role in Colorado\u2019s cannabis program.<\/p>\n DeGette, the incumbent congresswoman whose seat James is running for, is also supportive of marijuana reform. For example, she\u2019s sponsored legislation\u2014as well as an appropriation rider<\/a>\u2014to prevent federal interference in state cannabis laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n The post Marijuana Business Owner Running For Congress Says Federal Legalization Is The \u2018Only Path\u2019 For \u2018National Market Stability\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Colorado-based marijuana entrepreneur Wanda James is running for Congress, pledging to push for a complete end to federal cannabis prohibition if she\u2019s elected. Anything short of legalization\u2014whether that\u2019s a bill focused on industry banking access or another incremental reform such as rescheduling\u2014won\u2019t cut it, she says. James, who owns theContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":84634,"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\/84633"}],"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=84633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84635,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84633\/revisions\/84635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n\n
Full federal legalization is the only path.\u2070
It\u2019s time for real leadership that meets the moment. pic.twitter.com\/YZa8BabjGA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n
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\nRead More: Marijuana Business Owner Running For Congress Says Federal Legalization Is The \u2018Only Path\u2019 For \u2018National Market Stability\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"