Can the legal cannabis industry send one of its own to Congress?

Wanda James is singing a familiar tune, one fans of reggae superstar Peter Tosh know well: “Legalize it.”

But will that be enough for the $32 billion U.S. cannabis industry to be like other business sectors and send one of its own to Washington?

James, a cannabis industry entrepreneur and CEO of Simply Pure, a Denver-based licensed retailer who also sits on the University of Colorado’s Board of Regents, is running for Congress in Colorado’s First District on a clear platform: to bring federal cannabis legalization to the forefront and ensure the industry is treated with the fairness and respect it deserves.

She’s one of seven challengers so far to enter the race to unseat longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, who has represented the Denver area in Washington since 1997, ahead of a June 30 primary.

For James, “legalize it” isn’t just a campaign slogan – it’s a personal and professional calling. The executive order President Donald Trump signed Dec. 18 to reschedule marijuana is a positive step, but it doesn’t go far enough.

“Full-on legalization is the only real answer,” she said. “It’s the one thing that fixes all the problems – 280E, SAFE banking, landlord gouging and access to capital.”

A loud voice for the cannabis industry in Congress

With over a decade and a half of experience running dispensaries, grow facilities and an edibles company, James knows the ins and outs of the business better than most – and what cannabis operators need from lawmakers.

“When closed-door sessions happen, even well-meaning politicians who support us often don’t know how to pivot around the nuances of cannabis policy,” she said. “I do. I’ve lived it.”

Cannabis businesses should be treated like any other legal industry, she said.

“The average consumer thinks we’re already legal, but they don’t know the reality,” she said. “Dispensaries in Denver can’t access banking. Business owners are taxed like Pablo Escobar, with profits stripped away by unfair policies.

“We deserve the right to be treated like every other responsible business that has put their heart, soul – and homes – on the line.”

Cannabis industry is backing Wanda James

While Colorado’s representatives in Congress don’t block progress for the cannabis industry, they don’t do much to promote it either, said Joe Hodas, an industry veteran who was president of Boulder-based Wana Brands until April.

That creates a natural constituency for James’ campaign, he said: the $32 billion U.S. cannabis industry.

“They don’t understand the industry – they’re not proactive,” said Hodas, one of the many cannabis industry figures who have contributed some of the roughly $100,000 Wanda’s campaign has on hand, according to federal elections filings.

“Wanda does not step away from a fight – that’s what we need,” he added. “We don’t need complacency.”

“We want someone who says it’s the right thing for us to do as a country, the right thing to do for brown and black people, the right thing to do for the criminal justice system and the right thing to do for people who want access and need access.”

Jamie Pearson, president of Montana-based global cannabis consulting firm New Holland Group, said James understands the challenges of running a compliant business under federal prohibition and navigating contradictory laws.

“Having Wanda in Congress would mean having someone who deeply understands our realities, who has served her country honorably in the military and who is currently serving in an elected office representing her constituents,” said Pearson, who also contributed to James’ campaign.

“That combination of service, leadership and practical experience is rare, and it’s exactly what we need in the cannabis policy discussions in Washington.”

Washington, D.C.-based global dispensary National Holistic Healing Center CEO Chanda Macias said James could ignite change beyond rescheduling, which she called a “nothing burger.”

“If the cannabis industry had a voice in Congress, we could actually have proper education and introduction of respectable legislation as well as having a finger on the pulse of what is happening in that legislative branch,” Macias said.

“We need the cannabis industry to stand behind her so we do have access to Congress, so we do have access to sensible legislation and so we have access to someone who can actually make a difference.” 

No political newcomer, but a tough fight ahead

James is not a newcomer to politics. She managed Gov. Jared Polis’ first congressional campaign and was later appointed to the National Finance Committees by former President Barack Obama.

And she’s recently weathered a cannabis-related political pickle. Earlier this year, the CU Board of Regents censored her – a result of her speaking out against a state-funded public-service campaign that used images of Black people to warn about the risks of high-potency cannabis that she condemned as racist.

The images were pulled after James told CU President Todd Saliman that they were racially insensitive.

Even though James is experienced and has some money behind her, Colorado political analyst Mike Dino, a Democrat, said she has little chance of beating DeGette.

“Wanda is formidable, but voters are supporting incumbent Democrats like Congresswoman DeGette because they’ve pushed back against Trump,” Dino said.

While cannabis legalization is a cornerstone of her campaign, James’ platform goes beyond the industry.

Political blog Colorado Pols estimates James has a 20% chance of winning the general election, offering the assessment that James “may be one of the better DeGette Primary challengers in recent years, but it’s not a particularly high bar.”

James views her candidacy as a step toward normalizing cannabis entrepreneurship and breaking the stigma surrounding the industry not just in her home state of Colorado, but also in states where it is not currently legal.

“I don’t think there’s anyone who lives in Congressional District 1 who feels like dispensaries, gummies and pre-rolls are not normalized,” she said. “I look forward to seeing that happen all over the United States.”

Margaret Jackson can be reached at margaret.jackson@mjbizdaily.com.