Marijuana Moment: As Trump Nears Marijuana Announcement, Dispensary Owner Running For Congress Pledges To File Full Legalization Bill On First Day In Office

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Wanda James, a marijuana dispensary owner and advocate in Colorado who’s running for Congress, is applauding news about a potentially imminent move by the Trump administration to federally reschedule cannabis. But that reform doesn’t go far enough, she said, pledging to introduce a bill to end prohibition altogether on her “first day” on Capitol Hill if she’s elected.

To help her accomplish that goal, James has hired Neal Levine—a decades-long veteran of the cannabis reform movement—to manage her campaign, Marijuana Moment has exclusively learned.

As one of the first Black dispensary owners in the country, the candidate said in a statement on Thursday that she welcomes reports that President Donald Trump would be making a final decision on moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Whether or when that happens remains unclear, and a White House spokesperson told Marijuana Moment that “no final decisions have been made” at this point.

In any case, James said that any incremental reform that “reduces barriers for research, protects patients, or eases access for workers and businesses is welcome.” However, “Coloradans and all Americans, deserve more than halfway measures that leave core issues of justice, equity, and economic opportunity unresolved.”

“As the representative from the epicenter of the cannabis industry in America, I will introduce legislation on my first day in Congress to fully legalize cannabis nationwide,” she said. “And until we get there, I will support every incremental reform that reduces criminalization, expands research, strengthens equity, and makes life better for the people who built this industry and those who rely on it.”

The candidate’s statement follows a recent speech she made at a marijuana industry conference, where she argued that only complete legalization will address the cannabis business community’s needs such as allowing them to access the banking system like other traditional markets.

“Our communities deserve leaders who do not simply react to Washington’s dysfunction but who know how to fix it. I intend to be one of those leaders,” she said in her latest remarks, adding that the incumbent Democrat she’s aiming to unseat, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), has “proven for 30 years she is not.”

DeGette is also supportive of marijuana reform, but over her tenure in Congress, her record as a champion of the issue is relatively limited. She has sponsored legislation—as well as an appropriation rider—to prevent federal interference in state cannabis laws, though.

James, for her part, said she will “support any action, from any administration, that moves this industry and this movement forward” and “always vote in favor of any cannabis legislation that moves the needle, protects people, reduces harm, or expands opportunity.”

“But let me be equally clear: Rescheduling is not enough. But it is welcome.”

While James’s industry involvement gives her a unique perspective on cannabis policy issues that she’d bring to Congress if elected, she’s also recruited a leader in the advocacy movement to serve as her campaign manager and help her get there.

Levine, who got to know James through the marijuana reform community and previously worked to advance legalization with the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and Cannabis Trade Federation (CTF), told Marijuana Moment on Wednesday that “the reason [James] asked me to run her campaign is because I have a really solid track record running and winning.”

Although the incumbent, DeGette, has been “friendly towards the industry,” particularly later in her career, James would be a more proactive force for reform on Capitol Hill, Levine said.

“Wanda is one of us, so we don’t have to worry about how she feels or how she’s going to vote or what she’s going to do in regards to cannabis in Congress,” he said. “What we need in Congress to advocate for us with the log jam that we’re facing, we need people who are actually going to fight for us.”

“Wanda James is a is a trailblazing dispensary owner advocate who is going to go to Congress and fight to end prohibition once and for all,” Levine said.

Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.

The post As Trump Nears Marijuana Announcement, Dispensary Owner Running For Congress Pledges To File Full Legalization Bill On First Day In Office appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

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