U.S. Conference of Mayors Backs Federal Cannabis Reforms During Annual Meeting

During their 90th annual meeting, the U.S. Conference of Mayors endorsed a resolution calling for Congress to pass federal cannabis banking reforms, Marijuana Moment reports. Sponsored by the mayors of Tacoma, Washington; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Henderson, Nevada; the resolution stated that “the conflict between state law and the illegality of cannabis under federal law creates significant challenges and barriers for legally-owned and operated recreational and medical cannabis dispensaries and cannabis-related companies.”

In the resolution, the mayors urged “Congress to pass the SAFE Banking Act of 2021 to provide financial security for cannabis dispensaries and related companies and enhance public safety.”

Additionally, this year’s resolution included support for federal legalization of both medical and adult-use cannabis, similar to a resolution passed last year that also called for increasing social equity in the cannabis industry, the report says.

“Be it further resolved, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports federal legislation legalizing the medicinal use of cannabis and the adult use of recreational cannabis, including the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act (H.R. 3617) and the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA).” — Resolution text excerpt

The resolution passed out of the organization’s Executive Committee after no debate, where it then moved to the full body for a voice vote.

The Conference of Mayors first passed a cannabis resolution in 2013, calling on the federal government to respect state cannabis laws. They would go further in 2018 and call for the removal of cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and for cities to expunge cannabis convictions.