MJBizMag March 2022 - 34

Progress by
Cannabis lobbyists
believe incremental
steps are the most
likely path to change
W
hile not impossible,
comprehensive marijuana
reform that includes federal
legalization of the plant in the form of
one bill would be a politically heavy lift
in today's divisive Congress.
So it's important to focus on the most
politically palatable and plausible ways
to make progress, said Saphira Galoob,
principal and CEO of The Liaison
Group, a cannabis lobbying firm in
Washington DC.
" I think legalization is more of a
process than a moment, " Galoob said.
" It's not that I'm against comprehensive
reform. I just don't think it's going
to happen in Washington in one fell
swoop-and I don't believe we will only
have one bite at the apple, where every
issue surrounding legalization gets
resolved at once. "
She advocates creating a pathway to
legalization through a " sequencing, "
or more incremental, approach that
invokes authority within both the
Biden administration and Congress.
For Galoob and other veteran
lobbyists, several incremental
measures offer the best opportunity for
passage this year:
* Cannabis banking reform such as
the SAFE Banking Act would enable
financial institutions to serve
state-legal marijuana businesses
34 March 2022 | MJBizMagazine
without fear of federal reprisal.
The legislation could be attached
to a must-pass spending measure
or other authorizing bill, such as
the America COMPETES Act/U.S.
Innovation and Competition Act.
* The Medical Marijuana Research
Act is a bipartisan effort to
expedite research into cannabis.
* The HOPE Act would direct funds
to states for cannabis convictionexpungement
efforts. Unlikely
allies in the U.S. House-Ohio
Republican David Joyce and
New York Democrat Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez-introduced
the measure.
* A bill such as the Veterans Equal
Access Act of 2021 would allow
Veterans Administration doctors
to provide medical marijuana
recommendations to former
military service members.
Lobbyists agreed these incremental
measures are more likely to pass than a
wide-ranging federal legalization effort.
" What's at stake if we don't take the
right pathway, if we are unrealistic with
our political and advocacy strategy and
get nothing? " Galoob asked.
The result could be that individuals
continue to languish in prison, social
equity programs will not have the
financial institutions in place to
support their chance to succeed, and
there will be further delays in reforms
needed to help marijuana businesses
access capital, banking services and
equal treatment in terms of taxation,
she said.
Taking the wrong pathway also will
delay federal investments in communities
and individuals hurt by the war on
drugs, she said.
The Bucket Approach
Galoob sees cannabis reform efforts as
sitting in distinct buckets.
One bucket contains the various
measures that would legalize
Saphira
Galoob
Degrees
By Jeff Smith

MJBizMag March 2022

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