Cannabis Consultant Launches Campaign to Replace California Gov.

Cannabis industry consultant and lobbyist Jackie McGowan has launched her bid to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in the state’s recall election in September, the Napa Valley Register reports. McGowan, a Democrat, is one of 46 candidates that will appear on the ballot.

In an interview with the Register, McGowan said, if elected, she would battle the cannabis industry’s existential crisis by cutting cannabis taxes for cultivators, distributors, and retailers and put pressure on cities that have opted out of adult-use sales.

“I’m highlighting cannabis because we (in the industry) have been pushed aside for so long. This isn’t a game; this is literally life or death right now. The cannabis industry is in crisis, and it cannot be ignored any longer.”— McGowan to the Register

In the interview, the 46-year-old former stockbroker noted that by the time cannabis gets to the end consumer “it’s been taxed 10 or 15 times” depending on the jurisdiction. Her platform includes eliminating the cultivation tax on cannabis and lowering the excise taxes. She said she would also call on the federal government to allow cannabis to be exported to other states where it is legal and for all parts of the cannabis plant to be regulated fairly, be it THC-rich or hemp products.

While she did concede that it would be an uphill battle getting her pro-cannabis platform through the California Legislature, she said she would seek to implement as many of the reforms as possible through executive orders.

In the state’s 2003 recall election of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger beat out more than 130 candidates.