Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), a national trade association representing nearly 400 wine and spirits companies across the U.S., penned a letter to Congress advocating for federal cannabis legalization.
WSWA, in its letter, encouraged Congress to legalize and regulate cannabis industry using similar laws that govern the alcohol industry, including production, testing, distribution and tax collection.
In conjunction with its letter to Congress, WSWA earlier in March updated its 14-page cannabis legalization proposal, “Principles for Comprehensive Federal Legalization and Oversight of the Adult-use Cannabis Supply Chain.” The document, first released in 2021, details specific framework for permitting, licensing, packaging, and additional regulations.
WSWA also advocated for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to regulate the federal cannabis industry, saying the bureau is “uniquely qualified” to do so given its two-decade experience regulation the alcohol industry.
“The time has come for Congress to legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis at the federal level,” WSWA CEO and President Francis Creighton said in a statement. “The success of our alcohol regulatory system offers a proven model for cannabis regulation, one that will promote public health and safety as well as a fair and competitive marketplace.”
While WSWA established its support for federal cannabis legalization, it also signaled support for states to have say in their local cannabis regulations, too.
“States have successfully regulated the alcohol market for their citizens for nearly 90 years — they should retain the authority to regulate cannabis in the manner that best suits their local needs, including being able to choose not to legalize the product in their state,” Creighton said in his statement. “Federal regulation of cannabis should focus on issues of public health and safety and interstate commerce, such as standard potency measurements, labeling and marketing guidelines, the licensing of producers, testing facilities and distributors, collecting excise taxes, and properly funding impaired driving prevention and enforcement.
“Efforts that fail to include these critical regulatory provisions risk exposing consumers, communities, and industry businesses nationwide to the widening negative impacts of legalization already being seen in the marketplace without adequate federal oversight,” Creighton added.
WSWA said those interested in joining its cannabis legalization coalition can visit the company’s website.
