Congressmember Dina Titus, a self-described “long-standing advocate for reforming the nation’s marijuana laws”, announced today she has been appointed co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. Congressmember Ilhan Omar (D-MN) will serve as the other co-chair.
“I am honored to serve in a leadership position to help shape our nation’s marijuana policies,” Congressmember Titus said in a press release sent today. “Whether it is access to banking services and regular tax treatment for cannabis businesses, veteran use of cannabis for medicinal purposes through the Veterans Administration, or pushing the federal government to reform its outdated scheduling of marijuana as a dangerous drug, there is much work to be done.”
Titus continues: “In Nevada and the 23 other states that have decriminalized marijuana, the cannabis industry has demonstrated it is a responsible industry. It is time for the federal government to recognize that and treat it accordingly.”
Congresswoman Titus, a member of the Cannabis Caucus since its inception in 2017, succeeds Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a founder of the caucus, who is retiring from Congress.
“Congresswoman Titus has been a steadfast supporter of Nevada’s licensed cannabis businesses since day one,” said Layke Martin, Executive Director of Nevada Cannabis Association. “She is very knowledgeable about the challenges cannabis businesses face, such as access to banking and lending for cannabis companies and their employees. We can count on her to be a voice in Congress for fair regulation, public safety, and supporting small businesses.”
“Congresswoman Titus has been on the leading edge of support for sensible cannabis policy reform for as long as she has been in office, including in her time as a state senator prior to her congressional service. I know that she is very knowledgeable on this subject matter and greatly look forward to her leadership in this area,” said Riana Durrett, Director, Cannabis Policy Institute, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“Through Representative Dina Titus’ work in the Cannabis Caucus, the cannabis industry has seen support for federal banking reform and legislation for cannabis academic research,” said James Humm, Executive Director of the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board. “Nevada’s cannabis industry has benefitted from the advocacy of Congresswoman Titus, and our team is looking forward to collaborating with Rep. Titus as one of the Chairs of the Cannabis Caucus during the next Congress to help advance and grow the industry in Nevada.”
The Congressional Cannabis Caucus was founded at the start of the 115th Congress by Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Don Young (R-AK), and Jared Polis (D-CO). The goal of the caucus is to provide a bipartisan forum to discuss and collaborate on a more rational approach to federal cannabis policy.
