The Language Around Cannabis Legalization- The High Ground Ep. 28 | Bob Hoban of Hoban Law Group

Cannabis has been increasingly popping up in our political conversation heading into the 2020 election. There's been a lot of discussion about the potential role cannabis can play in economic recovery following the spread of COVID -19. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi defended, including cannabis related provisions in the house's coronavirus relief package, calling cannabis a “therapy that has proven successful.” Then Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden picked California Senator Kamala Harris as his VP pick and Republicans exploded with attacks against her including, for her time as a prosecutor, and specifically her handling of cannabis cases. There's also been speculation about how her recent support for federal legalization may impact her running mates position leading into November. The point is that cannabis has entered the political discussion, and it's likely not going anywhere anytime soon.  But the guest on this episode of The High Ground, Bob Hoban, says that those in favor of federal legalization might just be talking about it all wrong.

Bob Hoban is the president and founder of Hoban Law Group. Back in 2009, he was part of a team that represented a dispensary in a landmark case that successfully argued that it was unconstitutional for the Colorado city of Centennial to prevent them from operating. But Bob says, legally speaking, calling cannabis medicine even though that was part of his legal strategy back then is potentially not the best path forward today. We're talking about the language around cannabis legalization.