{"id":65567,"date":"2026-07-16T14:48:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T18:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/?post_type=press_releases&#038;p=65567"},"modified":"2026-07-16T14:48:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T18:48:50","slug":"ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act","status":"publish","type":"press_releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\/","title":{"rendered":"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Landmark legislation would protect cannabis workers and codify criminal justice reform<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013&nbsp;<\/strong>Today, the&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW)<\/u><\/a><\/strong>, which represents thousands of workers in the cannabis industry, released a statement in support of the&nbsp;<em>Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act<\/em>, introduced by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Ron Wyden and Cory Booker.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>UFCW International President Milton Jones<\/strong>&nbsp;said:<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs states across the country legalize cannabis, Congress has the rare opportunity to shape this industry into one that protects workers and rectifies the historical and continuing harms of past policies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBuilding workplace protections, strong wages, and economic opportunities into the cannabis industry ensures that workers and those harmed by the failed \u2018War on Drugs\u2019 will benefit from the industry\u2019s growth, which is why we\u2019re proud to support the&nbsp;<em>Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs America\u2019s cannabis union, the UFCW knows that this industry\u2019s success depends on the prosperity of the growers, cultivators, manufacturers, processors, and budtenders who power it. We commend Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Ron Wyden and Cory Booker for their leadership on cannabis and their efforts to make this industry home to good, family-sustaining jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>BACKGROUND<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"list\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"list-item\">\n<li>Currently, agricultural workers in the cannabis industry are not federally protected under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), hampering their efforts to organize and collectively bargain for better working conditions. This legislation would guarantee that all cannabis workers are protected by the NLRA, solidifying crucial protections for workers.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/div><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"list\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"list-item\">\n<li>This bill would also ensure workers are protected under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act. This would help employers limit worksite hazards through the creation of a national workplace safety standard, provide funding for research into the health effects of working in the field, and direct workplace training grants to the industry.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/div><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"list\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"list-item\">\n<li>The\u00a0<em>Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act<\/em>\u00a0would also address the far-reaching harms caused by the \u2018War on Drugs\u2019 by automatically expunging federal non-violent cannabis offenses and allowing for resentencing, providing funding and incentives for state expungement programs, and limiting the collateral consequences of cannabis use.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/div><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"list\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"list-item\">\n<li>The legislation would also implement industry taxes directed towards creating equity programs for communities negatively impacted by past cannabis policies, as well as promote diversity among cannabis ownership and fund equitable licensing programs in states and local governments.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/div><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"list\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"list-item\">\n<li>The UFCW believes that ensuring cannabis jobs have the highest labor standards is crucial to building this newly formalized industry into one that begins to heal the devastating effects of past policies and support communities in the future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/div><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CONTACT:<\/strong>\u00a0Finn Storer\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:press@ufcw.org\">press@ufcw.org<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Landmark legislation would protect cannabis workers and codify criminal justice reform WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013&nbsp;Today, the&nbsp;United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), which represents thousands of workers in the cannabis industry, released a statement in support of the&nbsp;Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, introduced by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Ron Wyden and Cory [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":436,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[28,449,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65567","press_releases","type-press_releases","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cannabis","category-official-statements","category-press-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act - The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act - The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-16T18:48:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/press-releases\\\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/press-releases\\\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\\\/\",\"name\":\"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act - The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T18:48:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-16T18:48:50+00:00\",\"description\":\"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/press-releases\\\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/press-releases\\\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/press-releases\\\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union\",\"description\":\"Official website of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"United Food and Commercial Workers International Union\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/61\\\/files\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/UFCW-Americas-Food-and-Retail-Union-2-color.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/61\\\/files\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/UFCW-Americas-Food-and-Retail-Union-2-color.png\",\"width\":415,\"height\":198,\"caption\":\"United Food and Commercial Workers International Union\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ufcw.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act - The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union","description":"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act - The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union","og_description":"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\/","og_site_name":"The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union","article_modified_time":"2026-07-16T18:48:50+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\/","name":"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act - The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-07-16T18:48:49+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-16T18:48:50+00:00","description":"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/press-releases\/ufcw-endorses-the-cannabis-administration-and-opportunity-act\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UFCW Endorses the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/","name":"The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union","description":"Official website of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/#organization","name":"United Food and Commercial Workers International Union","url":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/61\/files\/2021\/02\/UFCW-Americas-Food-and-Retail-Union-2-color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/61\/files\/2021\/02\/UFCW-Americas-Food-and-Retail-Union-2-color.png","width":415,"height":198,"caption":"United Food and Commercial Workers International Union"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/65567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press_releases"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/436"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/65567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65569,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/65567\/revisions\/65569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}