Colorado-based marijuana entrepreneur Wanda James is running for Congress, pledging to push for an end to the federal ban on cannabis if elected. Anything outside of legislation (whether it’s a bill focused on industry bank access or other incremental reform like rescheduling) won’t cut it, he says.

James, who owns the Simply Pure dispensary in Denver, is challenging Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) in next year’s Democratic primary to represent Colorado’s 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He spoke about his cannabis legalization platform at an MJBizCon event on Wednesday.

“No bank bill will save us. No half-step will fix it. No amount of tweaking will correct decades of damage,” he said in a press release ahead of the speech. “Only legalization gives oxygen to this industry.”

“Only legalization ends 280E. Only legalization ends raids. Only legalization ends fear,” he said, referring to the policy that prevents cannabis businesses from taking federal tax deductions and generally puts businesses at risk of federal enforcement action. “Only legalization stops the piecemeal nonsense that destroys operators while confusing the public.”

“And let me be very clear about something else,” he said. “This is not a battle between hemp and cannabis. It’s the same plant. The same history. The same communities. The same families. The same lack of respect. It’s time to send it to Congress that will step up the momentum our industry demands.”

In a statement on his campaign site, James also said he will “champion legislation to completely remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)” if elected. Rescheduling the plant or kicking the can down the road with “administrative delays” is not enough, he said.

“Full legalization. PERIOD,” he said. “This is the only way forward with federal safety standards, interstate commerce, banking access and national market stability.”

“In Congress, I will work with reform officials, veterans from both parties, and economic innovation committees to ensure that legalization is implemented quickly, safely, and with strong public health and consumer protections,” James. add.

The campaign statement also said James will push for legislative reform that boosts marijuana tax revenue for community reinvestment initiatives that support “affordable housing, mental health services, child care assistance, public school improvements and neighborhood economic development.”

“This approach ensures that legalization becomes a tool to lift up families, support workers, and rebuild ALL communities damaged by decades of discriminatory and wasteful enforcement,” he said.

The candidate also said he will “promote a federal equity framework that ensures priority licensing, business development assistance and access to federal grants and low-interest capital for communities disproportionately impacted by criminalization.”

James said the regulatory approach to marijuana he would adopt would prevent “corporate consolidation from wiping out the small operators and the pioneers who built this industry.”

“I will fight for antitrust protections, access to federal loans and fair trade rules between states that allow small businesses to compete without being crushed by multinationals,” he said. “And I will push for clear federal packaging, testing and transportation standards so entrepreneurs can responsibly scale across state lines.”

Also, as a military veteran, James said that doctors at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can recommend medical cannabis to the veteran population “without fear of penalties or bureaucratic hurdles.”

In 2023, James approached then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at an event focused on higher education and higher education. supported marijuana banking legislationpointing out how black business owners in the industry broadly support additional reform to free up banks and credit unions to work with state-licensed cannabis companies.

“I would love to see more and more movement on this. Make no mistake about it, first and foremost, we need to get grassroots banking in place,” he told Marijuana Momenti at the time, adding that his personal bank accounts were recently closed due to his involvement in the marijuana industry.

James is also a regent-elect at the University of Colorado, and his role in the marijuana industry became a point of contention leading to formal censure by the Board of Regents, who criticized an ad campaign warning about the dangers of cannabis use as racist for its portrayal of blacks using marijuana.

“This is a victory for me because we have completely exposed the problems that the University of Colorado has with race,” he said. he said of the census “We’ve been able to bare it for the world to see, and I couldn’t be more proud of my community and the people who have stood up for the truth and stood up against Blackness.”

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) responded to the board’s censure action, writing that “the First Amendment protects the right to free speech,” and that “no White House executive order or university public policy can override that fundamental right.”

“I’m concerned that the CU Board of Regents did that to punish Vice Chancellor Wanda James,” she said. “To protect the right to free speech and the fair treatment of CU Regent James, the Council of Regents would do well to reconsider the actions against him. Letting this action go into effect not only raises questions about fairness, but also weakens CD1’s representation on the Council.”

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Last year, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) called James is a “force of nature,” acknowledging his historic role in the marijuana policy debate and Colorado’s cannabis program.

DeGette, the incumbent congressman for whose seat James is running for, is also a supporter of marijuana reform. For example, legislation protects…as well as a pilot acquisitionto Avoiding federal interference with state cannabis laws.