When it comes to advocating for marijuana reform on Capitol Hill, Justin Strekal of NORML is one of the most widely recognized faces of the movement, putting in the hours to champion the cause of cannabis consumers and convince lawmakers to get on board. But after five years, the chapter of his career as NORML’s political director has come to a close. While he will continue to work to advance the cause in a different capacity, NORML will be getting a new lobbyist to fight for an end to federal cannabis prohibition in Congress. Paradoxically, Strekal personally thinks that professional lobbying should be abolished. But in his years as the federal lobbyist for NORML, he’s demonstrated how having a voice directly whispering—and, occasionally, shouting—in the ears of policymakers and their staff can help affect real change. “I took the responsibility of being the federal lobbyist and political director for NORML incredibly seriously as a way to harness the decades and decades of organizing that has been done by activists in as pointed and tenacious a way as possible to translate that into federal policy reform,” Strekal told Marijuana Moment.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 01/06/2022 09:06:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/normls-federal-marijuana-lobbyist-departs-after-five-years-advancing-reform-on-capitol-hill/

As state regulators gear up to launch what will be one of the country’s biggest legal cannabis markets, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul put equity in the spotlight with a new $200 million fund. In her State of the State speech on Wednesday, Hochul outlined sweeping budget priorities from climate action to education. While neither cannabis or hemp came up during Hochul’s speech, Hochul included in her far-reaching budget plan a $200 million public-private equity fund to “promote equity and economic justice in New York’s cannabis industry.” The seed money will come from licensing fees and tax revenue, according to the State of the State book, and the fund will also “leverage significant private investment.” While estimates vary, New York’s cannabis industry is expected to top $4 billion. Access to capital is a major hurdle for many cannabis industry hopefuls, especially those who seek to qualify as equity applicants. The state defines equity applicants a bit differently than other states by including distressed farmers and women and veteran-owned businesses, for example, along with applicants that come from communities affected by disproportionate enforcement of cannabis laws.

Alyson Martin, Cannabis Wire, 01/04/2022 19:00:00

Open article: https://cannabiswire.com/2022/01/05/new-york-gov-kathy-hochul-says-200-million-cannabis-equity-fund-will-create-opportunities/