Former Obama HHS secretary joins marijuana industry groupDana...

Former Obama HHS secretary joins marijuana industry groupDana MartinFebruary 9, 2021Updated at IST 5:52 pmUSAFormer Obama administration Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is your brand new co-chair of the National Cannabis Roundtable. | Patrick Smith/Getty PicturesFormer Obama administration Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is your brand new co-chair of the National Cannabis Roundtable.Powerful Tuesday, Sebelius joins former House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, atop the group’s board of directors, putting a bipartisan pair of political heavyweights set up at a time of heightened industry optimism that national marijuana restrictions could be loosened.“There is still really a national framework that makes this developing sector quite hard to operate [in]. That is a significant concern to me,” Sebelius said in a meeting with POLITICO. “I feel this is a moment of opportunity to actually talk about a few federal policy that is fair.”Wallpaper: Sebelius served as President Barack Obama’s first HHS secretary, playing an instrumental role in passage and implementation of the milestone Affordable Care Act. Formerly, she served as the two-term Democratic governor of Kansas.Boehner raised eyebrows in 2018 when he joined the board of cannabis company Acreage Holdings, was a staunch opponent of legalizing marijuana throughout his over three years on Capitol Hill. Acreage played an essential role in starting the National Cannabis Roundtable, but has since dropped out of the organization.Federal legalization: Sebelius unites the commerce group as Democrats take complete control of the national government. Rather, piecemeal laws, like a proposal to make it easier for bud businesses to get banking services, are more likely to get traction.Who’s involved: The National Cannabis Roundtable’s members comprise major cannabis firms like Trulieve, Cresco Labs and CannaCraft, as well as the Greenspoon Marder law firm and Pura Vida Investments.The industry group also announced that cannabis company Zelira Therapeutics USA is joining the coalition. Zelira’s CEO Oludare Odumosu will join the Roundtable’s board.This coalition includes some of the world’s biggest cannabis businesses, such as Curaleaf, and Canopy Growth Corp..The national landscape: Fifteen countries — accounting for at least 1 third of all Americans — have handed complete marijuana legalization. Another 21 countries have legalized medical marijuana. Legalization has spread across the nation even though the federal government continues to classify marijuana as a highly addictive, illegal drug with no medical value.“That’s occurred now in vast areas of the nation. I don’t see this as a Democratic or a Republican issue. … Voters across the nation have indicated a willingness and an interest in moving to another stage with cannabis.”What is happening in Kansas: Sebelius’ home state of Kansas is among only three countries that have no legal cannabis. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has proposed legalizing medical marijuana and using the tax revenues to pay for Obamacare’s Medicaid growth.Latest USA News, Breaking News of USA, Trending News of USA