For the first time since late 2019, lobbying spending at the federal level by cannabis-focused entities has jumped.
As Cannabis Wire previously reported, the spending peak of just over $2 million in Q4 2019 mapped against the passage of the SAFE Banking Act in the House of Representatives that September. This marked the first vote and the first passage of a standalone cannabis bill in Congress. Throughout 2020, spending steadily declined, which coincided with the pandemic and an intense focus on the presidential election. By the end of 2020, the lobbying spend fell to around $1 million.
Now, spending has bounced back, and is just under $2 million, according to a Cannabis Wire analysis of Q2 2021 lobbying disclosures for cannabis-focused entities. The timing, again, is no coincidence: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sens. Cory Booker and Ron Wyden created buzz with their release of the most comprehensive cannabis reform proposal to-date in Congress this month, after first announcing it in February.
Further, this increased spending doesn’t take into account the rise in lobbying from mainstream entities like global online retail giant Amazon and Marlboro-maker Altria. Both companies registered for the first time this year, which Cannabis Wire was first to report.
(Editor’s note: With entities that are not focused solely on cannabis, their disclosed lobbying spend often includes their non-cannabis activities, and it is difficult to get a precise picture; for this reason, they are excluded from our tally. Also, late filings may come in, though are unlikely to change the overall picture.)
Here are the entities that lobbied in Q2 2021, along with their spend:
• American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp: $10,000
• Arizona Dispensaries Association: <$5,000
• Association of Cannabis Specialists: <$5,000
• California Cannabis Business Association: $17,000
• Cannabis Business Association of Illinois: <$5,000
• Cannabis Trade Federation Action: $10,000
• Canopy Growth USA LLC: $290,000
• Canopy Growth Corporation: $110,000
• Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation: $20,000
• Columbia Care: $50,000
• Cresco: $50,000
• Cronos USA Client Services LLC: $40,000
• Curaleaf: $60,000
• Drug Policy Alliance: $87,644
• Ghost Management Group, LLC (DBA Weedmaps): $20,000
• Global Alliance for Cannabis Commerce: $90,000
• Greenwich Biosciences, Inc.: $270,000
• Holistic Industries Inc.: $50,000
• LeafLink, Inc.: $60,000
• Maridose: $10,000
• Minority Cannabis Business Association: $40,000
• Minorities for Medical Marijuana: <$5,000
• National Cannabis Industry Association: $50,000
• National Cannabis Roundtable: $143,500
• National Medicinal Cannabis Coalition: $90,000
• National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws: <$5,000
• PAX Labs: $30,000
• PharmaCann: $30,000
• Policy Center for Public Health and Safety: $10,000
• Safe Advertising Coalition: $20,000
• SAM Action: 1$0,000
• The Walter Group LLC on Behalf of Tweed Inc.: $50,000
• Trulieve: $40,000
• US Cannabis Council: $70,000 (formerly registered as CTF)
