Why Sen. Mitch McConnell's visit to SoCal matters

Most Cannabis operators have a personal connection to this issue. Maybe Cannabis had a positive impact on their health and wellness, they’ve seen it ameliorate a family member's medical symptoms, or they view its legalization as a transformative tool for social justice. That reason drives and motivates them. The same concept can be true for elected officials and policy makers. For the pro-Cannabis movement to continue to grow, it must deliberately work to understand and help build decision-makers' personal connection to this issue.

Imagine: it's the night before Congress is going to vote for federal Cannabis legalization. You know it’s going to be tight, and so every vote matters. You walk into a member of Congress’s office and she tells you “I honestly don’t know much about legalization and I don’t personally care about the issue. But I’ve received 100 phone calls from constituents against it and only 25 for it. So I’m going to represent my district and vote no."

You’d be surprised how frequently that conversation happens daily with officials at all levels across America.

Now imagine if that same elected official was engaged by the pro-Cannabis community. The community regularly held educational meetings her and her staff. She knew who was operating in her district and employing her constituents. She had even toured the facilities and could put a face to the people affected by this vote. Do you think that conversation above would have a different resolution?

Last week, a group of Cannabis operators in Southern California hosted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for two days. While the details have been kept quiet, and McConnell’s office has refused to comment in substance on his trip, the activities are predictable. He probably toured a few different elements of a vertical operation, he met with a variety of employees and industry leaders. He gained a deeper understanding of how the industry operates, and how issues like SAFE banking and rescheduling Cannabis would help the industry grow. I’m willing to bet he had a discussion about the black market and cartels. And the trip was capped off with a fundraiser.

Regardless of what exactly happened or what conversations took place, the returns will be best judged in the long-term. Look at what McConnell says in his speeches and statements, and what policy decisions he makes over the next few years. Regardless of anything said or promised this trip, McConnell undoubtedly flew back to Washington with a deeper personal connection to the Cannabis issue. He now will draw on that experience, and associate names and faces with the Cannabis issue he would not have if his Cannabis education was totally based in Washington.

You cannot judge the trip's effectiveness based on one issue or vote, it’s about the long-term. So even if McConnell doesn't give SAFE banking a vote in the Senate this year, it would be wrong to call this trip a failure. His support for the issue will result from many more conversations and visits with the pro-Cannabis community, including future trips like the one last week. Building that personal connection is one of the best long-term tools we can use to motivate elected officials to support our shared cause.

I would like to see a more organized effort from the pro-Cannabis community for more of this type of engagement with elected officials at all levels. We know the greatest battles facing the Cannabis community is ahead of us. We know there will be more explosive issues elected officials will be tackling and we will ask them to take difficult votes. And we also know that we can’t build those relationships, understanding, and passion on the day we will need it.