Reps. Carter, Titus Introduce EDUCATE Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) and Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) introduced the Establishing and Developing University Cannabis Agriculture Techniques and Excellence (EDUCATE) Act. This bill creates pathways for minority students to explore and study jobs in cultivation, research, business, and policy sectors of the legal marijuana market.

"As the legal cannabis market continues to grow, this bill helps guarantee that local economies, not just large corporations, benefit from new jobs, new businesses, and new research," said Rep. Carter. "By strengthening programs at HBCUs and HSIs, we can ensure students from historically underserved communities can enter high-growth fields in agriculture, research, and advanced manufacturing."

The 1890 Land-Grant Institutions are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that offer high-quality agricultural research, education, and extension programs to prepare students from diverse backgrounds to participate meaningfully in the agriculture industry. Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are colleges and universities where at least 25% of the undergraduate student body identifies as Hispanic and play a key role in expanding educational access. The cannabis industry has grown at a significant rate, projecting to generate $100 billion in revenue by 2030. As more states continue to implement or expand marijuana legalization policies, job growth will continue, serving as a pathway to economic empowerment for communities that have often been left out.

"The legal, responsible use of cannabis has been a major economic driver in Nevada and across the country and deserves further research," said Rep. Titus. "The EDUCATE Act would enable students to explore and study jobs in the cultivation, research, business, and policy sectors of the legal marijuana market by providing federal funding to institutions of higher education."

"As the cannabis plant becomes an increasingly prominent part of America's agricultural landscape, it is vital that we develop robust research and educational systems to grow our knowledge base, improve public health, maintain leadership on the global stage, and train the next generation of farmers and experts. The EDUCATE Act significantly facilitates these goals while creating opportunities for the communities that have been disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition. NORML is grateful for the introduction of this legislation, and we urge members of Congress to support it and call for its consideration without delay," said Morgan Fox, Political Director, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

"We are proud to endorse this legislation that will cultivate the next generation of cannabis industry leaders. Black and Latino communities have been most impacted by marijuana criminalization yet have been largely boxed out of the legal industry. This bill will help change that, bringing us one step closer to an equitable marijuana industry," said Maritza Perez Medina, Director of Federal Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance.

"HBCUs have played a critical role in developing and educating future leaders in our country, from Thurgood Marshall to Kamala Harris. This bill is an opportunity to bolster these historic institutions by providing the resources necessary to empower the next generation of students to study careers in the cultivation, research, business, and policy sectors of the legal cannabis market. For far too long, people of color bore the brunt of an overly punitive criminal justice system that relished the opportunity to throw jail time their way for cannabis. This bill represents an opportunity for those same communities to reap the benefits of the burgeoning billion-dollar cannabis industry, and we are proud to support it," said Stephanie Shepard, Executive Director, Last Prisoner Project and former federal cannabis prisoner.

Background:

The EDUCATE Act will:

• Provide $5,000,000 in annual research and operational funding to HBCU 1890 Land-Grant Institutions and HSIs to assist in developing the infrastructure needed to support student engagement and learning in cannabis agriculture.
• Create a $100,000 scholarship annually for undergraduate and graduate students to pursue studies in cannabis agriculture.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

Congressman Carter is a member of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus and is a leader on cannabis policy. He is the author of the Marijuana Misdemeanor Expungement Act which would deliver justice for countless Americans whose lives have been disrupted and deprived because of a misdemeanor Marijuana offense. He also introduced the RESPECT Resolution that outlines steps and practices to create an equitable cannabis industry that addresses, reverses, and repairs the consequences of the failed "War on Drugs." Finally, his bipartisan CLIMB Act will allow state-legal American cannabis companies, including small, minority, and veteran-owned businesses the ability to access critical lending and investment opportunities currently available to other domestic and regulated industries.

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