A coalition of marijuana advocacy groups sent a letter to House leadership on Friday, asking that they incorporate language allowing the cannabis industry to access banking services in upcoming coronavirus relief legislation. Because financial institutions fear being penalized by federal regulators if they work with state-legal marijuana businesses, these companies are often forced to deal on a la... Read more »

Several marijuana organizations have sent a letter to congressional leaders urging that Safe Banking Act language be included in any future economic relief packages. Because of marijuana's federal prohibition, the vast majority of business and customer transactions involving licensed pot businesses are cash-only. The Safe Banking Act, a bill proposed by U.S. Representative Ed Perlmutter that would... Read more »

The federal government classifies cannabis as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, right up there with LSD, heroin and ecstasy. Yet, many state governments have legalized the drug for medical and recreational uses. The industry is made up of thousands of dispensaries and cultivations that operate like small businesses, employing hundreds of thousands of workers across the country and contributing to... Read more »

Washington D.C.—Today, Congressman Joe Neguse, along with Senator Michael Bennet, Congressman Ed Perlmutter, Congresswoman Diana DeGette and Congressman Jason Crow sent a letter to ICE highlighting grave due process issues in the Aurora Immigration Courtroom and requesting immediate fixes to ensure fairness during COVID-19. The letter addressed to James McHenry, Director of the Executive Office fo... Read more »

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) cosponsored legislation unveiled today by Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-08) to provide hazard pay to health care professionals and other essential workers. The Coronavirus Frontline Workers Fair Pay Act compensates workers for the risks they are taking and for the public services they are providing during this unprecedented public health and economic e... Read more »

The end of April saw a new bill introduced in Congress that would give state-legal cannabis businesses access to the Small Businesses Administration’s COVID-19 relief programs. Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Ed Perlmutter of Colorado introduced the Emergency Cannabis Small Business Health and Safety Act. Blumenauer also serves as co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, alongside Oaklan... Read more »

The SAFE Banking Act, which passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate, could get tacked on to a future stimulus bill. Cannabis companies already caught a break during the coronavirus pandemic by winning "essential business" status. Now they're looking for an even bigger prize, one that has eluded them for several years: passage of the SAFE Banking Act as part of the next big federal sti... Read more »

WASHINGTON- This week, the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued an Interim Final Rule yesterday that updated guidance for disbursement of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to afford maximum leniency to financial institutions in disbursing PPP loan funds to ensure that the loans could be forgiven. Congressmen Scott Tipton (CO-03) and Ed Perlmutter (C... Read more »

annabis companies across the United States have been deemed "essential" during the coronavirus outbreak, but some may not survive because they've been cut out of any federal assistance. "There's no relief for us, unlike any other business in the country. We're probably in about as tough a spot as you can be in," Brandon Pollock, co-owner and CEO of the recreational and medicinal marijuana dispensa... Read more »

Colorado Congressman Ed Perlmutter decided to recognize people who are working hard during the coronavirus pandemic. He’s making videos of people he calls “Local Heroes.” Some of the heroes include a professional photographer who is taking pictures of families on their front steps in exchange for a donation to the Arvada Food Bank. Another video covers Arvada police officers, firefighters and nei... Read more »