Governors Push Banking Bill, North Carolina and Texas Eye Reform

It was a busy day for cannabis policy, with several threads pulling in different directions. The lead item is a push from governors who are urging Congress to pass legislation that would give cannabis businesses better access to the banking system. The issue has been stuck for years, and it keeps coming back because so many state-legal operators still run on cash or rely on workarounds that make compliance and safety harder.

In North Carolina, the state House speaker has signaled that marijuana is a priority. That's a notable shift in a state that has been slow to change its cannabis laws, and it suggests lawmakers there may be ready to take the subject seriously in the coming session. Further south and west, legalization bills have been filed in Texas, another state where cannabis reform has often run into stiff resistance. Filing a bill is only the first step, but it keeps the conversation alive and gives advocates something concrete to rally around.

In the Northeast, attention turns to what 2027 could hold for New Hampshire. The state has long been a holdout in a region where neighbors have moved ahead with legal sales, so any sign of momentum there is worth tracking.

The roundup also points readers to a pair of opinion pieces. One makes the case for rethinking how marijuana is taxed, and the other looks at the relationship between the cannabis industry and Republicans, a relationship that matters more than ever as federal policy shifts.

Taken together, the items show how cannabis politics is moving on several fronts at once. Federal banking reform, state-level legalization and decriminalization efforts, and arguments over tax policy are all developing at the same time, and each could shape what the market looks like in the year ahead.