Members of Congress look for marijuana industry included in virus relief
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed a letter to congressional leaders asking that cannabis businesses be included in future federal relief packages due to COVID-19.
The letter which was sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, said in part:
“Thank you for your efforts to address the needs of the American people during the COVID-19 outbreak.
As you draft the next COVID-19 relief bill, we write to ask that you address one of the shortcomings of the CARES Act-the exclusion of state-legal cannabis businesses and their employees.
The COVID-19 crisis response demands the full participation of the American people, businesses, and workforce. However, without relief, a very large population is left without the means to execute the required public health measures and continue to provide financially for their families.
The state-legal cannabis industry is a major contributor to the U.S. economy and workforce, employing over 240,000 workers across 33 states and four territories, and generating $1.9 billion in state and local taxes in 2019.
As states respond to the COVID-19 crisis by shuttering businesses to mitigate the virus’ spread, jurisdictions across the country have recognized cannabis businesses as “essential.”
Essential businesses, in many places, can operate during the pandemic provided they abide by required public health safety measures. Like other businesses with continued operations, cannabis businesses have met the moment by preserving access to treatment for patients with chronic conditions, donating protective clothing, and manufacturing equipment for medical use.
However, unlike other small businesses, cannabis businesses are not eligible for the CARES Act programs.”
Publicly traded companies in the space include Aphria (APHA), Aurora Cannabis (ACB), CV Sciences (CVSI), CannTrust Holdings (CNTTF), Canopy Growth (CGC), Cronos Group (CRON), General Cannabis (CANN), India Globalization Capital (IGC), Tilray (TLRY), Trulieve Cannabis (TCNNF) and Zynerba (ZYNE).
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