Conversations on cannabis policy.

2025 Summit Agenda

Please see below for NCPS 2025 panel topics.

8:45am

Morning Coffee & Breakfast Reception
Powered by the UFCW Cannabis Workers’ Union

Join the UFCW Cannabis Worker’s Union and members of the NCF Advocacy Committee before the Summit for coffee, light breakfast and networking.

10:00am

Welcome & Opening Remarks
Caroline Phillips, Founder, National Cannabis Festival & Policy Summit

10:15am

Balancing Taxation and the Unregulated Market in Cannabis Policy

High cannabis taxes have fueled the persistence of unregulated markets, undermining legalization efforts in many states. As elected officials and advocates grapple between supporting burgeoning regulated small businesses and avoiding returning to punitive punishments for cannabis in states where it has been decriminalized and in some cases legalized, many are left searching for solutions. How can taxation policies strike a balance between generating revenue and ensuring a competitive, legal market? How can policies be amended to support regulated business and incentivize unregulated retailers to enter the licensed market? Where can we find examples of successful tax models that support economic growth and consumer safety? 

Speakers:

Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
Pat Oglesby, Founder and President, Center for New Revenue

Moderated by:
Gerren Keith Gaynor, White House Correspondent and Managing Editor of Politics, theGrio

11:00am

Home Rule Through the Lens of Cannabis Legalization

Washington, DC has long been at the center of the cannabis legalization debate, where local efforts to regulate adult-use cannabis are blocked by congressional oversight. Despite DC voters overwhelmingly voting for cannabis legalization in 2014, Congress continues to restrict the city’s ability to establish a commercial market through the Harris Rider. Recently introduced legislation threatens to erode DC’s Home Rule, potentially rolling back local autonomy across multiple policy areas—including cannabis. How does congressional interference impact DC’s cannabis businesses and what are the broader implications for DC’s self-governance? What are potential pathways for full cannabis legalization in DC? Do DC’s Home Rule concerns foreshadow greater challenges to states rights on cannabis and beyond?

Speakers:

Kelsye Adams, Organizing Director, DC Vote
Queen Adesuyi, Partner, Reframe Health Justice
David Grosso, Partner, Arent Fox Schiff & Former At-Large DC Councilmember
Dr. George Derek Musgrove, Associate Professor of History, University Maryland Baltimore County 

Moderated by:
Micha “Mimi” Green, Managing Editor, Washington Informer

12:00pm

Keynote Address: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)

Introduction by:
Kelsye Adams, DC Vote

12:15pm

Networking Break

12:45pm

Polling: Bipartisan Solutions to Federal Cannabis Policy Challenges

In recent years, voices on both ends of the political spectrum have urged a reassessment of cannabis policies in the United States. Numerous bipartisan pieces of legislation have been introduced at the federal level, including several that promise to remove cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act. Despite forward momentum, and with 90 percent of states having some form of cannabis decriminalization or legalization, none of these pieces of legislation have passed. Do polls show that obstacles facing cannabis legalization are based on political ideology, generational differences, or are there other factors in the divide? What does the data show to be the most compelling argument for legalization when appealing to elected officials on both sides of the aisle? As we approach the Midterms, how does messaging need to be amended or focused?

Speakers:

Kat Murti, Executive Director, Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Maritza Perez Medina, Director, Office of Federal Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance
McCauley Pugh, Senior Analyst, Lake Research Partners 

Moderated by:
Matt Laslo, Veteran Congressional Correspondent, Professor, Writer

Resources:

• Marijuana Justice Coalition

• Legalize Marijuana the Right Way

1:15pm

Descheduling vs. Rescheduling: Why Language Matters
The distinction between rescheduling and descheduling cannabis carries significant legal, economic, and public health consequences. With the Biden administration’s push for rescheduling under review, what are the implications of the different policy approaches? How does descheduling vs. rescheduling impact tax policy reform (280E)? What are the criminal justice implications for the differing approaches and how do they influence the broader narrative surrounding cannabis legalization?

Speakers:

Jonathan Blanks, Senior Fellow, FREOPP
Greg Glod, Fellow, Criminal Justice & Public Safety, Americans for Prosperity
Cat Packer, Director, Drug Markets and Legal Regulation, Drug Policy Alliance

Moderated by:
Natalie Fertig, Policy and Politics Reporter, POLITICO

2:15pm

Challenges and Opportunities: Small Business Ecosystems in the Cannabis Marketplace

As federal cannabis policy changes, small businesses remain at the heart of the industry’s growth and innovation. With barriers for sustainable operation such as high taxation, limited access to capital, and regulatory burdens, the promise of an equitable industry remains largely out of reach. As small cannabis businesses and social equity applicants face mounting challenges in an increasingly consolidated market, what are the structural obstacles preventing small operators from thriving? With pushing for full descheduling, how will the small business ecosystem be impacted by interstate commerce? How are advocates leveraging strategies for policy reform?

Speakers:

Ishaq Ali, Director of Growth, Equity Trade Network
Geoffrey Lawrence, Research Director, Reason Foundation
Shekia Scott, Senior Cannabis Industry Manager, Mayor's Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, Boston

Moderated by:
Chris Michalakis, Senior Federal Legislative Representative, UFCW

3:15pm

An Era of New Prohibition?: Consumer and Community Safety in the Age of Cannabis Policy Reform

With the cannabis market experiencing rapid growth, several states are implementing new policies in the name of consumer safety and harm reduction that are reminiscent of a past prohibitionist approach. From limitations on access points and penalties for minors to THC caps, restrictions on hemp and increased taxes, some worry that these measures threaten to undermine existing medical and adult-use programs.

How are concerns about consumer safety and harm reduction influencing policy? Are nationwide rollbacks on DEI initiatives undermining state-level efforts to bolster small business and social equity licensing? Is the reintroduction of mandatory minimum sentences in some states breathing new life into drug war policies of a bygone era? What do these trends mean for broader drug policy, criminal justice reform, and the future of harm reduction?

Speakers:

Morgan Fox, Political Director, NORML
Audrey Johnson, Executive Director, Maryland Office of Social Equity
Amber Senter, Executive Director, Supernova Women
Eric Sterling, Advisor, Law Enforcement Action Partnership and Lifetime Achievement Awardee, NORML, 2015

Moderated by:
Michelle Rutter Friberg, Director, Government Relations, National Cannabis Industry Association

4:15pm

On the Record: Cannabis Policy, Returning Citizens and Criminal Justice Reform

As of 2023, 24 states have enacted adult-use cannabis legalization, 24 have enacted cannabis-specific record clearance laws, and 10 have enacted cannabis-specific resentencing laws. In 2025, some states are rolling back these laws. How do different mechanisms for record relief and release of those still incarcerated affect people with cannabis convictions? Can prisoners incarcerated for cannabis-related offenses expect reform? What is the future of cannabis and criminal justice reform in the United States? 

Speakers:

Kyle Page, Dispensary Owner Ascend Wellness, Last Prisoner Project Constituent
Jeremy Grove, Last Prisoner Project Constituent & Advocate

Moderated by:
Kira Lerner, Democracy Editor, Guardian US

5:00pm

NCPS Advocacy Networking Reception

Network with NCPS speakers, advocates, business leaders and cannabis community members at the Post-Summit Networking Party. Enjoy a live DJ, beer, wine, appetizers and the chance to mix and mingle on the rooftop of the MLK Library. Register here.

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