National Cannabis Roundtable and US Cannabis Council Merge to Represent Industry Interests in Washington

[PRESS RELEASE] – WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2025 – The National Cannabis Roundtable (NCR) and US Cannabis Council (USCC) announced an agreement to combine the two organizations that represent leading multistate and single-state cannabis operators, retailers, ancillary businesses and advocacy organizations on Capitol Hill.

The combination, which will be known as the US Cannabis Roundtable, immediately establishes a singular voice representing the cannabis industry to the newly sworn-in 119th Congress and the incoming Trump Administration. The combined organization will represent operators across 38 states and a substantial amount of the 13,000 retail locations and nearly 450,000 full-time employees working in the state-licensed cannabis industry.

“This is a pivotal time for the regulated cannabis industry with a newly elected Congress and an incoming president who has publicly supported and pledged to advance commonsense cannabis reform,” said Charlie Bachtell, CEO of Cresco Labs and chairperson of both NCR and USCC. “As the chairman of both groups, I have seen first-hand the incredible talent of each organization and know that the combined group will be the unified authority advocating on behalf of the legal cannabis industry and a resource on all things cannabis for members of the Trump administration and Congress.”

During his 2024 campaign, President-elect Donald Trump endorsed a states’ rights legislative approach to cannabis, reclassifying cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and the SAFE Banking Act, all priorities of NCR and USCC.

“President Trump’s endorsement represents a sea change in cannabis policy and advocacy,” said Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve and vice chair of NCR. “For the first time in history, a Republican president endorsed these initiatives, and our new combined organization will best position the industry to help the president get them over the finish line.”

Together, NCR and USCC will deploy an unprecedented advocacy team including former influential members of Congress, and a former Trump senior adviser, among others. The cannabis priorities of the organization and its advocates focus on commonsense reform initiatives and will include:

• Rescheduling cannabis to Schedule III;
• Passing states’ rights legislation that allows each state to make its own decision on cannabis policy;
• Enacting cannabis banking legislation (the SAFE/SAFER Banking Act); and
• Ending the un-American scenario that allows foreign cannabis companies to list on the NASDAQ and NYSE while prohibiting state-licensed U.S. cannabis companies from doing the same. 

As of Jan. 16, NCR and USCC will officially coordinate all political activities, lobbying efforts and public-facing communications. The collaboration of these organizations establishes a singular, powerful voice for cannabis research, policy, safety and standards.