It wasn’t that long ago that expressing support for marijuana reform was considered to be political suicide. That’s not to say that there weren’t political candidates that supported marijuana reform in the past, because there certainly were. However, those candidates were considered to be so far in the minority that they were on the fringe at best. That all changed in 2012. In 2012 two states legalized marijuana, and the game changed forever.
Zoom forward to 2015, and candidates are not only expressing support for reform, they are trying to push legislation that will help the industry too. At the beginning of this decade it seemed almost unfathomable to think that a major Presidential candidate would be holding a reception at a legal cannabis industry event. But that is exactly what’s going to happen later this month when Republican Presidential candidate Rand Paul participates in the 2015 Cannabis Business Summit and Expo, put on by the National Cannabis Industry Association. Per Yahoo:
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the most vocal critic of the “war on drugs” in the 2016 Republican presidential field, will host a “private briefing” on June 30 for campaign donors on the sidelines of the second annual Cannabis Business Summit and Expo in Denver, according to an invitation for the event obtained by Yahoo News.
It’s not clear whether any of Paul’s rivals for the GOP nomination will associate themselves with the gathering, which is put on by the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). Other headline events at the June 29-July 1 forum include pot-themed sessions called “Running Your Cannabusiness,” “Cultivation and Processing,” “Money Matters,” “Finance, Accounting and Insurance,” and “The Law, Policy and Reform.”
“Now, Senator Paul is making history again by hosting a VIP reception and private briefing to talk about his vision for America,” the message says. “He will take your questions and talk about his support of federal medical marijuana, his push to reform banking laws so they do not deny services to legal cannabis businesses, his work on criminal justice reform, and his support of allowing states to determine their own cannabis laws.
“Never before has a major-party presidential candidate held a reception at a cannabis industry event, and NCIA is proud to host Senator Paul,” NCIA says. The event will be co-hosted by NCIA’s political action committee.
The 2015 Cannabis Business Summit will be held in Denver from June 29-July 1st. There will be a lot of industry leaders in attendance, and considering that Rand Paul will be participating in the event, I think it’s safe to say that just about anyone could show up. If you are serious about succeeding in the cannabis industry, you should attend too. Click on the banner below to find out more:
