Political Quotes

“It is an honor to be here with my friend, Mr. Perlmutter, and the bipartisan support that we are receiving from Mr. Stivers. We are going to hear in a moment from the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce), who has been a champion. Sadly, I feel my good friend from North Carolina could have given his speech 25 years ago. The legalization train has left the station. This is a business in the United States that is approaching $20 billion of revenue this year. As has been pointed out, 97 percent of the American public has access to some form of legal cannabis. Medical cannabis, 4 million patients utilize it. Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that has arrived, and it is being held captive of the past practice by pretending that the Federal Government can wish away the legalization of this subject. They can't. The flawed Federal policies create serious problems. As Mr. Perlmutter pointed out, we have had over 100 robberies in my community, including a fatality. These cash-only enterprises are sitting ducks for people who have nefarious aims. It is an invitation for money laundering now because of the vast amount of cash that is circulated. It impacts so many legitimate businesses, real estate, insurance, attorneys, accountants, who get caught up. We already heard reference to what happened to Mr. Stivers' constituent in Ohio, a business that provides gardening supplies, that risks losing their bank account. It is time for us to address this inconsistency.…”