Cannabis & cannabinoids
Cannabis policy is decided by a short list of offices. Reach them with one strategy.
Banking access, Section 280E, scheduling, state licensing and local bans. Capital Arc has worked these matters at the White House, House and Senate level and in state capitols — as the client, before it was the firm.
$10M
Deployed on state and federal engagements as the client
State + Federal
Vetoes, proposed bans, extensions, negotiated legislation
Multi-firm
Lobbyists, firms and pollsters hired, managed and measured
Selective
Engagements accepted only where there is a credible path to impact
How the Firm Works
One accountable party for the whole effort.
The matter as it actually is
Cannabis is regulated by Congress, DEA, FDA, state legislatures and city councils at the same time. Enthusiasm and a well-known name do not, on their own, defeat a veto or unlock banking. What does is a team mapped to the specific decision-makers standing between the company and its objective, with relationships that hold when the vote is close — coordinated under one strategy.
Principle One
Map the decision before spending on it.
Every government relations matter has a finite set of officials with actual jurisdiction, and a finite set of people who can reach them. The firm begins by identifying those decision-makers, where each stands today, the realistic timeline, and the access the company already has and still needs.
Principle Two
Access is necessary. It is not the strategy.
Lobbyists open doors and read the room. They do not, on their own, set the objective or hold the effort together. The firm selects and coordinates lobbyists and advisors for the specific offices at issue and holds them to one plan and one reporting standard.
Principle Three
Work the problem where it is decided.
Outcomes are shaped by committee chairs, leadership, agency officials and the governor or executive — rarely on the floor. The firm identifies what those offices need in order to act, tests what is achievable through members and third parties, verifies commitments, and escalates only when the path is clear, because escalation carries real cost.
Principle Four
Report on everything, every week.
Every person on the engagement reports on a fixed schedule. The firm consolidates and verifies that reporting into a single weekly briefing: what changed, what it means, what is at risk and what decisions are needed. The client always knows where the effort stands and what it is paying for.
How it is delivered
A team assembled around the matter, not a fixed roster.
The firm maps the access the company actually needs, staffs the engagement accordingly, and coordinates the whole effort through one command center with weekly reporting.
Map the decision
Every official with jurisdiction between the company and its objective — and the access it has and still needs.
Staff the engagement
The lobbyists, counsel and specialists this specific matter requires. The client holds the contracts; the firm coordinates.
Report every week
Structured reporting from everyone on the engagement, consolidated into one verified briefing.
Related practice areas
Frequently Asked
Questions decision-makers ask
Work With Us
Tell us what your cannabis business is up against.
A short application tells the firm the industry, the jurisdiction, who is already involved and what is at stake. If there is a credible path to impact and no conflict, the next step is a strategy call. If there is not, the firm will say so.