Matt Gaetz Bashes Democrats Over Cannabis Banking Reform, Quotes Benzinga In His Podcast 'Firebrand'

In a recent episode of his “Firebrand” podcast, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) criticized Democrats for failing to enact cannabis banking reform and blocking his marijuana amendment.

Gaetz slammed the Dems for what he called their inability to enact cannabis reforms and then laid out his own. “He [Gaetz] proposed an amendment, consisting of the text of the bipartisan STATES Act, which would prevent the federal government from intervening in states that enact cannabis legalization,” reported Marijuana Moment.

“We are now in a circumstance where one of the easiest, fastest, most capable ways to advance health care outcomes for people with traumatic brain injuries would be to unlock the great research potential that exists throughout our country—and the STATES Act would pass the United States Senate,” Gaetz said. “It should pass the House of Representatives under Democratic control.”The STATES Reform Act, introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), would essentially legalize cannabis on a federal level “in a manner consistent with the right of states to determine what level of cannabis reform or legalization each state wants to regulate, or not.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D), rejected Gaetz’s amendment arguing that the proposed revision “is still beyond the scope of the underlying bill.”

To prove his point, Gaetz talked about the War on Drugs and the ongoing dangers cannabis companies face by not having access to banking. In doing so, he referred to a recent Benzinga story “Cannabis Dispensary Workers Sitting Ducks As Violent Robberies Increase & Politicians Dither Over Banking Details."

“The War on Drugs is deeply unpopular in all the country except in the halls of Congress in Washington DC. Robberies are piling up because dispensaries have no place to store their cash and everyone knows it. Legal cannabis stores are sitting on cash and we are seeing what happens when you do this. In the Washington States, we have had 80 robberies in 2022,” Gaetz said stressing the need for cannabis banking reform.