Who Does the US Cannabis Counsel Really Represent?

The US Cannabis Counsel (USCC) recently rejected four applicants from the hemp industry to its Board. The applicants, Mood, Apotheca, Kight Law, and a prominent national bank, applied to the USCC’s Board in an effort to reach across the aisle, end the “Cannabis Civil War”, and work towards a regulatory pathway that bridges the current gap between the hemp and marijuana sectors. In preliminary conversations with representatives of the USCC, hemp industry applicants were told that the USCC supports a “one plant solution” to cannabis reform. 

Despite this rhetoric and the fact that the USCC markets itself as the “voice of America’s regulated cannabis industry” with a mission to “create an equitable and values-driven cannabis industry“, it rejected the hemp companies’ applications. After the rejection, the hemp applicants learned that the MSO board members voted against admitting all of the hemp industry applicants in order to preserve their “voting block”. 

This latest saga in the cannabis civil war is discussed at length in a recent article in Forbes, where influential cannabis attorney Bob Hoban concludes: “This is an unfortunate outcome for the cannabis industry. The olive branch offered by the hemp industry was forcefully rejected by the MSOs. Notably, this rejection severely undermines the USCC’s credibility as an organization that purports to represent the entire cannabis industry.“

So who does the USCC actually represent? Based on its most recent boardroom action, the organization clearly represents its MSO members’ interests – including their limited license, vertical integration, no homegrow, corporate model – over any sort of equitable one-plant solution that supports the entire cannabis industry, including its small business participants. Unfortunately, the USCC’s support of its MSO masters is consistent with its vocal support of the hemp-killing “Mary Miller Amendment” to the Farm Bill that I have previously discussed.

We will continue to work toward uniting the entire cannabis industry. Disappointingly, the USCC’s recent actions demonstrate that it will not be able to lead, or even participate, in the future of broad and equitable cannabis reform. 

November 4, 2024

Rod Kight is an international cannabis lawyer. He represents businesses throughout the cannabis industry. Additionally, Rod speaks at cannabis conferences, drafts and presents legislation to foreign governments, is regularly quoted on cannabis matters in the media, and is the editor of the Kight on Cannabis legal blog, which discusses legal issues affecting the cannabis industry. You can contact him by clicking here.