WSWA Urges Congress to Adopt 3-Tier System for Marijuana

"The time has come for Congress to legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis at the federal level,” said WSWA CEO/President Francis Creighton in a letter to every member of Congress. “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.”

WSWA said its approach is based upon four pillars:

1. The federal permitting of cannabis producers, importers, testing facilities and distributors.
2. The federal approval and regulation of "cannabis products and product labels"
3. The efficient and effective collection of federal excise tax.
4. Effective federal measures to ensure public safety.

“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,” said Creighton.

“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.”