Cannabis Industry To Meet With Congressman, Discuss Legislation

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Photo: Jeff Fryer/flickr
Rep. Jared Polis (C-Colorado) will meet on Wednesday with members of the National Cannabis Trade Association to discuss the federal legislative needs of marijuana-related businesses.

​The National Cannabis Industry Association, the first national trade organization dedicated to advancing the interests of marijuana-related businesses, will discuss the federal legislative needs of the industry at the National Press Club this Wednesday, March 30.

Prominent leaders in the industry will join Congressman Jared Polis (D-Colorado), as well as the manager of See Change Strategy, an independent firm that, on March 23, released the first-ever financial analysis of the legal medical cannabis industry in the United States.
This report, based on interviews with more than 300 people in the industry, projected the total legal medical cannabis market at $1.7 billion in 2011.


Photo: NCIA
Steve Fox, NCIA: “It is time for the federal government to take this industry seriously”

​”It is time for the federal government to take this industry seriously,” said Steve Fox, NCIA‘s director of public affairs. “At a time when the U.S. economy is struggling, the medical cannabis industry is growing. It is creating thousands of jobs and generating millions of dollars in tax revenue at the local, state and federal level.
“These state-legal businesses are also providing high quality cannabis and cannabis products to patients who would otherwise need to procure their medicine from underground, unregulated and non-taxed street dealers,” Fox said.
“The medical cannabis industry is not seeking special treatment,” Fox said. “Our members simply want to be treated like business owners in any other industry. We are far from that point now.
“While our members are diligently adhering to state and local laws and regulations, the IRS and federal bank regulators are taking advantage of statutes enacted to stop truly illicit drug trafficking in order to place unfair and onerous financial burdens on these businesses,” Fox said. “NCIA’s goal is to eliminate these unnecessary and unjust burdens.”

Graphic: NCIA

Who:
• Steve Fox, director of public affairs, National Cannabis Industry Association
• U.S. Representative Jared Polis (D-Colorado)
• Steve DeAngelo, executive director, Harborside Health Center, Oakland, California
• Jill Lamoureux, owner, Boulder (CO) County Caregivers
• Additional National Cannabis Industry Association memnbers
• David Guard, See Change Strategy, publisher of “The State of Medical Marijuana Markets 2011”
Where:
National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC
When:
Wednesday, March 30 at 10 a.m.
The mission of the National Cannabis Industry Association is to defend, promote and advance the interests of the cannabis industry and its members. NCIA publicly advocates for the unique needs of the emerging cannabis industry and defends against those aiming to eliminate the legal market for cannabis and cannabis-related products.
For more information, visit www.TheCannabisIndustry.org.
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