Friends, just a quick note before these Cannabis Musings take a week off for vacation. I recognize that I’m constantly kvetching about the industry’s perpetually overly-optimistic expectations of Congress, but a good client service provider manages their clients’ expectations appropriately. However, as cynical as I am (very), I do recognize the quiet importance of what took place on Capitol Hill on Thursday. As reported, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions held a hearing on the economic challenges being faced small and minority-owned businesses recovering from the pandemic. Included in the constituencies providing testimony was Amber Littlejohn, Executive Director of the Minority Cannabis Business Association (and fellow lawyer!).

Events like this are examples of the normalization of the cannabis industry as a business. The inclusion of Littlejohn’s testimony on behalf of minority cannabis businesses in a Congressional hearing sends the message that cannabis is on the same footing as the other industries represented at the hearing. The industry may not yet be enjoying the delights of full legalization, or even the door prize of SAFE Banking, but these under-the-radar achievements build the narrative, one that is allowing an entirely federally-illegal industry to flourish and grow. It’s kind of wondrous and fun (and I’m very much paraphrasing here) to witness the arc of history bending.