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

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 hard-to-win
campaigns.”

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.