As the cannabis industry continues to experience an influx of financial opportunities, scientific studies, and legislative changes, states are coming together to share institutional knowledge and regulatory best practices. In November 2020, cannabis regulators from various states formed the Cannabis Regulators Association to provide federal lawmakers and administrative agencies with the resources needed to regulate cannabis. Since then, the national organization has made strides in cannabis-based education nationwide. Read below to learn more about the Association and how it benefits the cannabis industry.
What is The Cannabis Regulations Association (CANNRA)?
The Cannabis Regulations Association, or CANNRA, is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization of cannabis regulators across the United States devoted to providing federal, state, and local policymakers and regulatory agencies with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions on cannabis. CANNRA was founded by several principal cannabis regulators from the following states: Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, and Washington. Today, the organization has members from over 40 states and jurisdictions, all of which have cannabis policies in place.
CANNRA does not consider itself an advocacy group, as the organization has never formally taken a position for or against cannabis legalization. Instead, CANNRA aims to provide government officials with information that will help them make educated decisions on the legalization and regulation of cannabis. CANNRA sources information on industrial hemp, medical cannabis, and adult-use cannabis from exchanges with research organizations, public health officials, policymakers, legal authorities, advocacy groups, and cannabis industry consumers.
Can Cannabis Consumers and Business Owners Join CANNRA?
Participants in the cannabis industry, including consumers, business owners and other advocates, are not eligible for CANNRA membership. Currently, CANNRA limits membership to regulators and representatives from relevant government offices. CANNRA also offers associate memberships for states and governmental agencies seeking education and insight on cannabis regulation if the state doesn’t have an official cannabis regulatory agency or if the governmental agency is not the primary cannabis regulator in its state.
How does CANNRA help the cannabis industry?
The formation of CANNRA is a step forward for the cannabis industry. While cannabis is illegal on a federal level, several states have implemented policies that permit cannabis in varied capacities. CANNRA now provides these states a platform for lawmakers to talk to each other, discuss best practices, and formulate unified regulations that will allow the cannabis industry to prosper. To learn more about CANNRA’s efforts to aid the cannabis industry, read below.
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- Policy tracking: CANNRA bi-annually tracks cannabis policies across its member states, evaluating over 100 cannabis regulatory variables.
- Topic-based committees: CANNRA hosts over a dozen topic-based committees covering various cannabis-related issues like licensing, compliance, packaging and labeling, etc.
- Annual meetings: CANNRA hosts two in-person meetings each year for members and stakeholders to discuss topical issues related to cannabis regulation.
- Monthly webinars: CANNRA holds monthly, member-only webinars and workshops to educate regulators on various cannabis-related issues.
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