Former Florida GOP congressman joins Cannabis Trade Federation as adviser

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The Cannabis Trade Federation (CTF) is continuing to expand its policy and lobbying team in Washington DC, and the newest player to join the roster is former Florida congressman Carlos Curbelo.

CTF, which is pushing for federal marijuana reform, said in a news release Thursday that Curbelo, a Republican, was hired as a strategic adviser.

Curbelo, a conservative who championed the fight against IRS Tax Code 280E in Congress on behalf of the marijuana industry, was unseated last year in the midterm elections. He also signed on to other cannabis reform bills, such as the STATES (Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States) Act, which is a CTF priority this year.

“This is a states’ rights issue,” Curbelo said in the news release, referring to the legalization and regulation of marijuana.

Curbelo added he’s joining CTF’s team “because I know that they are the most effective cannabis industry lobby.”

Neal Levine, the CEO of the trade association, said in the release that Curbelo was “a commanding advocate for cannabis reform while he was in Congress.”

Since the beginning of 2019, CTF has hired 15 lobbyists and brought on longtime legalization movement insider Steve Fox as part of its plan to push federal MJ reform.

The Cannabis Trade Federation was formed in April 2018.