National Cannabis Industry Association has goal decriminalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States
The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) is an American non-profit organization based in the District of Columbia, with an additional office in Denver, Colorado. NCIA is the largest cannabis trade association in the U.S. and the only organization representing state-sanctioned cannabis-related businesses at the federal level. Its mission is "to promote the growth of a responsible and legitimate cannabis industry and work for a favorable social, economic and legal environment for that industry in the United States." The organization was founded in late 2010 and has been described as the "first national trade group for the cannabis industry" in the United States.As the cannabis industry has grown and matured dramatically in recent years, NCIA has grown with it. The group officially held its first board meeting on December 16, 2010 with a small handful of members. In January 2013, NCIA had 118 member businesses. In January 2014, NCIA had "nearly 400" member businesses. As of July 2017, NCIA had nearly 1,400 member businesses. In June 2019, NCIA reported nearly 2,000 member businesses.The NCIA has been negatively compared to the lobbying arms of the alcohol and tobacco industries, with activists worried that it could harm legalization efforts.In February 2020, the organization brought on five new board members; Canopy Rivers president and CEO Narbe Alexandrian, Law Offices of Omar Figueroa Inc. principal Omar Figueroa, Rocky Mountain Reagents Inc. VP Liz Geisleman, Copperstate Farms general counsel Ryan Hurley and Indica LLC and Stick Ypsi co-founder Chris Jackson.