“There are dozens of unanswered questions at this stage,” said Andrew Freedman, executive director of the coalition and Colorado’s former cannabis tsar. Each of them is enough to make someone stand still before proceeding with legalization. Therefore, we need to answer all these outstanding questions definitively. ”
There are now 16 states that approve the legalization of marijuana, while another 26 have only legal medical markets. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has accepted marijuana legislation, calling it a priority for this Congress. Meanwhile, the industry’s legitimate sales were $ 20 billion last year, according to New Frontier Data, a 50 percent increase over 2019.
The current composition of the coalition: The coalition includes tobacco giant Altria, beer cattle Constellation Brands (Corona, Modelo) and Molson Coors Beverage Company, two national convenience store associations, the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers, and The Brink’s Company.
Many of these companies already have a large stake in the cannabis industry and could benefit from federal policy changes. Constellation owns 39 percent of the largest Canadian cannabis company, Canopy Growth Corp. Altria bought a $ 1.8 billion stake in cannabis company Cronos Group in 2018 and is campaigning for Virginia’s newly passed marijuana legalization bill. In addition, Constellation and Molson Coors both produce downtown drinks.
The coalition also has a “Center of Excellence” made up of experts, including cannabis entrepreneur and former president of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, Shanita Penny, Staci Gruber of McLean Hospital and Harvard University, Brandy Axdahl of the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, and John Hudak of the Brookings Institution.
The balance act: The new coalition balances two sides: large companies with a vested interest in cannabis policies and regulations, and experts who may not believe the industry’s approach is the best way to protect the health of Americans or to provide equal access to the emerging market.
“Our experts … all come specifically with the understanding that they will not be edited,” Freedman said, adding that key business people should also be part of the regulatory process. “Where possible, we will build consensus. But when there is significant deviation [on an issue], we are going to be transparent about the significant deviation. ”
Penny said she accepts the invitation to join because it gives her a stronger platform to influence policy. She hopes it will be a forum where groups that are often not part of the legalization debate can discuss the parts of the cannabis policy that they feel strongly about, such as youth access or criminal law reform.
“One of the biggest challenges I’ve had over the last few years is breaking through to the leaders of the black community – whether we’re talking about clergy, whether we’re talking about our elected officials,” Penny said. “If we have the opportunity to hear from these leaders and absolutely take into account what has not been heard over the years, I think we are going to make significant progress.”