Two cannabis industry groups join forces, citing need to marshal resources

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cannabis partnership

Two cannabis industry trade groups are teaming up to launch a “federation of organizations” aimed at promoting pro-marijuana policies and laws at the federal level.

The New Federalism Fund (NFF), which is focused on banking and tax issues, and the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) together are creating the Cannabis Trade Federation.

Details about the federation’s makeup are limited. But a news release said its “shared objectives” will include:

  • Extending the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment to the recreational marijuana industry.
  • Maintaining and clarifying marijuana banking guidance provided by the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
  • Giving legal marijuana businesses full access to commercial banking services.
  • Removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.

NFF and ATACH officials declined to shed more light on the new federation’s membership and other particulars.

Their announcement comes on the heels of recent criticism of the marijuana industry’s oldest and largest trade group, the National Cannabis Industry Association.

NCIA itself is rolling out an initiative aimed at uniting dozens of state-level trade groups under what it is calling the Allied Associations Program.

Michael Bronstein, founder of ATACH, told Marijuana Business Daily there’s a need for greater collaboration among MJ industry groups.

“The story is about unifying the industry and making sure people are working hand-in-hand,” he said.

NFF and ATACH both lobby for the cannabis industry, but each brings a slightly different focus.

The former was created in 2017 to focus on banking and taxation reform for MJ companies, rather than full legalization.

ATACH, launched in 2014, focuses on developing industry production and processing standards to bring voluntary consensus technical standards to the industry.