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Good morning and happy Friday!
I’m going to pour a bit of coffee and then talk about the Colorado Senate race a bit.
This is going to be fun, I swear.
#copolitics #cosen #copols
I’m going to pour a bit of coffee and then talk about the Colorado Senate race a bit.
This is going to be fun, I swear.
#copolitics #cosen #copols
We’re also going to discusss cannabis in this thread.
This is all coming out of my latest piece in @colo_politics, looking at where cannabis in Colorado is likely to land in the #cosen race. https://www.coloradopolitics.com/opinion/senate-hopefuls-should-heed-pots-political-power/article_0e9ae080-9a01-11ea-a39d-670450dce47d.html
I've long been concerned about what cannabis role cannabis could play in the 2020 Colorado Senate race.
@CoryGardner's feigned support for the industry, consistently producing nothing tangible.
@Hickenlooper's track record working agains the industry. https://twitter.com/VinnieChant/status/1181345930320048128?s=20
@CoryGardner's feigned support for the industry, consistently producing nothing tangible.
@Hickenlooper's track record working agains the industry. https://twitter.com/VinnieChant/status/1181345930320048128?s=20
I'll say, I tried to include some commentary on @Romanoff2020 in this piece.
Unfortunately, I could not find any position information on the Colorado cannabis issue in his campaign materials.
I have been told, by more than one person, that Andrew is "totally weed's guy," FWIW.
Unfortunately, I could not find any position information on the Colorado cannabis issue in his campaign materials.
I have been told, by more than one person, that Andrew is "totally weed's guy," FWIW.
My "weed guy" is the one with a clear plan for evolving sensible regulation and growing an equitable industry, not the person who consumes openly, or is willing to be seen with Colorado NORML.
Gov. @Hickenlooper indicates that he's taking the issue seriously, simply by listing it as a priority publicly.
Now, that doesn't mean too much.
Because acknowledgement doesn't equate progress, which is really the crux of all of this to begin with.
Because acknowledgement doesn't equate progress, which is really the crux of all of this to begin with.
See Also: @CoryGardner
He's perfectly adept at acknowledging and ignoring the cannabis industry. I've written about this before, his lack of care for workers' safety in a legal industry producing $1B in tax revenue for his state.
He's perfectly adept at acknowledging and ignoring the cannabis industry. I've written about this before, his lack of care for workers' safety in a legal industry producing $1B in tax revenue for his state.
I've written about this before, also in @colo_politics: https://www.coloradopolitics.com/opinion/at-risk-of-robbery-cash-and-carry-cannabis-vendors-need/article_d8a868d2-2127-11ea-ab37-9fd89145b6bb.html
Now, though, it's time for someone to take the industry's support away from Gardner, with some proactive proclamations.
The first one is easy: cannabis is good for Colorado.
The first one is easy: cannabis is good for Colorado.
The second one, is that anyone running for Senate in the Centennial State needs cannabis, more than cannabis needs them.
Especially @Hickenlooper.
Despite jokes about short term memory loss, we all remember that Governor Hickenlooper openly opposed Amendment 64. https://www.denverpost.com/2012/09/12/colorado-gov-john-hickenlooper-opposes-marijuana-legalization-measure/
Despite jokes about short term memory loss, we all remember that Governor Hickenlooper openly opposed Amendment 64. https://www.denverpost.com/2012/09/12/colorado-gov-john-hickenlooper-opposes-marijuana-legalization-measure/
Despite his reluctance, though, he did implement the world's first government regulated adult-use cannabis market here in Colorado.
With his signature, our obstinate market launched a full six months before Washington State’s and has continued to set the bar for an economically sustainable model, especially when compared to Oregon’s oversaturated or California’s faltering markets. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/10/colorado-cannabis-sales-hit-1-billion-as-other-states-rush-to-market.html
Despite rolling out the market, Hickenlooper was no ally in the Capitol, continuing to squash evolution in his state's industry, including vetoing autism as a qualifying condition for medicinal cannabis use on his way out the door. https://denverite.com/2018/06/06/colorados-gubernatorial-candidates-decided-medical-marijuana-bill-allowing-use-treat-autism-disorders/
Proving that these snubs weren't going to be repeated by the next state executive, cannabis went to work for ourselves.
In the 2018 gubernatorial race, the influence of cannabis went beyond direct spending and endorsements.
In the 2018 gubernatorial race, the influence of cannabis went beyond direct spending and endorsements.
It involved direct influence, and recognizing the badged cannabis industry as its own independent voting bloc.
It meant thinking of cannabis advocates as more than single issue, while taking their top issue seriously.
It meant thinking of cannabis advocates as more than single issue, while taking their top issue seriously.
The largely self-funded then-candidate @JaredPolis combined the state database of badged cannabis employees with the voter file to identify a universe of potential Polis supporters, and designed direct messaging in step with contemporary issues around cannabis.
These industry employees and stakeholders were then targeted with text messages and campaign mailers highlighting cannabis as an issue “other politicians must realize...is a winning issue for candidates to run on,” Polis told The New York Times in 2016.
Dubbed “America’s first pot governor” before taking office, Polis was a stark contrast to the Governor Hickenlooper he was replacing. https://coloradosun.com/2019/01/07/americas-first-marijuana-governor-colorado-jared-polis/
Reality check: Cannabis is a multi-billion dollar industry *already*
In the first five years of adult-use sales, Colorado cannabis has put more than $1 billion in to the State’s coffers, accruing more than six billion dollars in retail sales. https://merryjane.com/news/colorado-surpasses-dollar1-billion-in-cannabis-tax-revenue
In the first five years of adult-use sales, Colorado cannabis has put more than $1 billion in to the State’s coffers, accruing more than six billion dollars in retail sales. https://merryjane.com/news/colorado-surpasses-dollar1-billion-in-cannabis-tax-revenue
The sky did not fall in 2014. Even the "what about the children" crowd are running out of air.
Surveys show that while youth use in Colorado has remained relatively flat after an initial dip post-legalization, 80% of our teens continue to abstain. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M3XdmqznZDl2y6D7Hz6iDGwTFTHSGrtP/view
Surveys show that while youth use in Colorado has remained relatively flat after an initial dip post-legalization, 80% of our teens continue to abstain. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M3XdmqznZDl2y6D7Hz6iDGwTFTHSGrtP/view
In June 2019 the industry had licensed just shy of 3,000 businesses. Recent reports have the industry, including ancillary support companies, employing more than 45,000 Coloradans.
https://d3atagt0rnqk7k.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/04110223/CANNABIS-JOBS-APPENDIX-FINAL.pdf
https://d3atagt0rnqk7k.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/04110223/CANNABIS-JOBS-APPENDIX-FINAL.pdf
It would be reasonable to expect a formal endorsement – and all the trimmings that accompany one – from various groups and representatives of the cannabis industry federally, but also particularly in Colorado this year.
Industry leaders have already voiced their support and pledged dollars to candidates relative to the issue. https://www.cpr.org/2019/10/04/will-colorados-2020-senate-chase-include-a-cannabis-industry-endorsement/
Facing a serious deficit in the 2020 race, Colorado’s
@SenCoryGardner is facing a difficult uphill battle to win reelection.
It has already been suggested that his positive track record of working to bolster an industry that he also once opposed, could make the difference.
@SenCoryGardner is facing a difficult uphill battle to win reelection.
It has already been suggested that his positive track record of working to bolster an industry that he also once opposed, could make the difference.
Even @NORML gave @CoryGardner some acknowledgment in the cannabis space after a particularly fluffy @Playboy article about him re:weed was released. https://twitter.com/NORML/status/1191399774001471492?s=20
By all indications Sen. Gardner’s efforts are mere politicking. When he called on the Small Business Administration, pleading for assistance for Colorado’s restaurants and franchises, he failed to mention the cannabis cause he claims to champion. https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-urges-sba-to-loosen-loan-limits-for-restaurants-and-franchises
Senator Gardner has even failed to defend his own #SAFEBanking Act from his GOP allies, allowing the historic bill to stall in the Senate. The senator’s inaction on cannabis has presented an important opportunity for the cautious governor to show his progression on the issue.
The senator’s inaction on cannabis has presented an important opportunity for the cautious @Hickenlooper to show some progression on the issue.
Governor @Hickenlooper is fond of citing the political ideology that the states are the “laboratories of democracy,” and the perfect home for the cannabis experiment. He was doing this as recently as the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary. https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/hickenlooper-differs-from-2020-democratic-field-on-pot/article_e402a580-428e-11e9-9820-b716b8ad2c79.html
Now, after five years of consistently positive results, the time has come for @Hickenlooper to declare that experiment a success.
A Senator @Hickenlooper could lead an informed and intentional drive for the end of federal prohibition in Washington D.C.
I could actually believe that.
I could actually believe that.
Take the lessons learned from Colorado’s stalwart rollout of the adult-use industry, infuse them with state initiatives like Illinois' social equity licensing program, and ally himself with subject matter experts like Ean Seeb, the governor’s special advisor on cannabis.
Easy.
This support can be indicated immediately.
Recently, the #HEROESAct was introduced in the U.S. House, which included language in it that would allow state-legal cannabis businesses equitable access to federally regulated and insured financial institutions, as well as critical COVID relief access.
The initiative has been led by Colorado’s own Congressman @RepPerlmutter, anyone who would hope for this essential industry’s support for the Senate in November could take care to demonstrate it now by supporting this initiative in the Upper Chamber.
#CoPols @Ed4Colorado
#CoPols @Ed4Colorado
Governor, stand up and voice your support to extend relief to all of your state's legal, licensed, tax-generating businesses.
They may just stand up and voice their support for you.
They may just stand up and voice their support for you.
That's it.
That's the thread.
Thanks for reading, I'll link my editorial here, and there may be more below if there's some good conversation being had. https://www.coloradopolitics.com/opinion/senate-hopefuls-should-heed-pots-political-power/article_0e9ae080-9a01-11ea-a39d-670450dce47d.html
That's the thread.
Thanks for reading, I'll link my editorial here, and there may be more below if there's some good conversation being had. https://www.coloradopolitics.com/opinion/senate-hopefuls-should-heed-pots-political-power/article_0e9ae080-9a01-11ea-a39d-670450dce47d.html
Addendum A: @SenatorBennet, I've noticed your ineffectiveness on cannabis, too.
I didn't mention you in this piece, because I can't imagine you're going to campaign to keep your job and didn't see a reason to bother to ask for your support.
Honestly, that makes me sad.
I didn't mention you in this piece, because I can't imagine you're going to campaign to keep your job and didn't see a reason to bother to ask for your support.
Honestly, that makes me sad.
