Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) came to the defense of marijuana provisions in the Democrats’ most recent round of coronavirus relief on Friday.
Support for the marijuana industry was suggested by some to be unrelated to the public health crisis.
“I don’t agree with you that cannabis is not related to this,” Pelosi said at a press briefing in the Capitol. “This is a therapy that has proven successful.”
Pelosi made the remarks when asked by reporters to respond to the accusation that the cannabis language is not “directly related” to the coronavirus response.
The Democrats’ package includes the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act, a bill already passed through the House that would prohibit federal financial regulators from penalizing banks and depository institutions that provide services to legal marijuana-related businesses. The act would provide for the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on minority and women cannabis business owners.
The HEROES Act notes that the cannabis provision would allow “access to financial services to cannabis-related legitimate businesses and service providers” while limiting the amount of cash handled at those businesses.
