As Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) takes over as chair, the House Rules Committee may no longer be the place cannabis reform goes to die.

McGovern says he understands full cannabis reform on a federal level would be challenging, but he is committing himself providing protections from federal interference for individual states that do decide to legalize the substance. Additionally, he plans to focus on opening up banking services to cannabis businesses, a problem that has long held back smaller companies that don’t have access to wealthy investors from getting off the ground.

“Citizens are passing ballot initiatives, legislatures are passing laws, and we need to respect that. Federal laws and statutes are way behind.”

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