According to U.S. Cannabis Council President & CEO Steve Hawkins, who spoke to Yahoo Finance Live, cannabis “tends to be more popular than any politician on the ballot.”
The CEO talked about cannabis legalization and sales in New Jersey, as well as promises on marijuana regulation made by politicians, and the pathway towards federal legalization.
Speaking to Yahoo’s Dave Briggs, Hawkins talked about what the US Cannabis Council represents. It represents as “many of the largest MSOs, multistate operators, in the cannabis industry today, as well as some of the leading advocacy organizations,” said Hawkins.
He added, “The organization was formed to really have a comprehensive and unified voice in Congress, as we see the inevitable day that cannabis is descheduled and legalized, and we see the end of federal prohibition. So we seek to reform the cannabis laws at the federal level and have a presence in the states.”
When asked what states would be opening their doors to recreational sales, Hawkins answered, “Gee, I think we will see Maryland, Dave, in November at the ballot. I fully expect that the constituents in the state of Maryland will pass a ballot that will bring cannabis into Maryland. Rhode Island is very close. And I think we’re going to see more activity in some of the red states.”
Speaking about what the Biden administration has done for marijuana legislation, Hawkins said, “Well, I’m terribly frustrated.” He continued, “We had a president who campaigned that he would do something around cannabis decriminalization. The White House has done absolutely nothing. So the blue wave that had its impact initially in terms of investor sentiment that something would happen around cannabis has steadily declined.”
“But I am optimistic that we will see some reform out of this Congress. SAFE Banking that would allow for banking provisions and facilities to be utilized by consumers, by entrepreneurs, you know, I think that still has a very good chance of passing in this Congress. The Safe Banking Act enjoys the support of nine Republican senators. It’s truly a bipartisan bill. It just needs to get to the floor of the Senate. It’s passed already six times in the House,” Hawkins concluded.
