Congressmen Cohen and Blumenauer Urge TVA to Reverse Course on Marijuana Policy

Press Release

Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-09), a member of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, and Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), a co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, today sent a letter to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and released the following statement amid reports that the federally owned electrical utility is threatening to cut off its services to legal cannabis businesses in Mississippi:

"Last month, Mississippi joined 36 other states in legalizing cannabis for medicinal use, a big step forward for the health and well-being of Mississippians. But TVA is blatantly ignoring that development by threatening to turn in legal cannabis businesses in Mississippi to federal agents. These policies are outdated, unpopular, and scientifically baseless.

"TVA would also be sadly out of step with the American people, even after polls and elections are showing again and again how voters react when given the choice to weigh in on access to cannabis. From ballot measures to state legislatures, states are continuing to create state legal markets, while the federal government has failed to modernize its policies. This is a time to provide clarity to TVA and is a golden opportunity to right-size federal cannabis policy."

Blumenauer and Cohen both support comprehensive legislation to end the federal prohibition of cannabis and ensure restorative justice for those affected by it.

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