OUR WORK
Principled Leadership focused on sound Policy and Industry Credibility
ATACH is one of the oldest trade associations dedicated to the cannabis and hemp sectors. What sets ATACH apart isn’t just experience, it’s how we use that experience to guide cannabis and hemp from an emerging market to an established, respected industry.
Problems We Solve
Regulatory Confusion
Unregulated Market Risks
Fragmented Advocacy
Consumer Mistrust
Barriers to Long-Term Growth
The rapid growth of the cannabis and hemp industries has brought real momentum—but it’s also introduced serious risks. A lack of unified standards and regulatory clarity has created confusion among operators, policymakers, and consumers alike.
Opportunistic companies push intoxicating hemp products and synthetics onto the market, undermining licensed operators and public safety. Advocacy across the industry remains fragmented, with some organizations prioritizing consensus over accountability—diluting the industry’s ability to present a clear, unified voice. Meanwhile, lawmakers are left without the transparency they need to make safe, informed decisions.
If these issues aren’t addressed, they risk destabilizing the market, eroding consumer trust, delaying federal reform, and deterring responsible investment. ATACH tackles these systemic threats by setting clear, principled standards, defending compliant operators, and advocating for long-term policy solutions that serve both the public and the future of the industry.
By turning real-world challenges into actionable, science-based policy, ATACH champions public health, protects responsible businesses, and lays the foundation for lasting credibility across the cannabis and hemp sectors.
Priorities
Federal Rescheduling
Since 2022, ATACH has been leading the efforts to reschedule cannabis under federal law, working alongside patient advocates, medical professionals, and businesses to remove outdated restrictions that hinder research, banking access, and state-legal operations. Convened as the Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform, the coalition advances evidence-based policy that recognizes cannabis's therapeutic potential, medical use and low risk of abuse. Learn more about the Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform here.
Future of Hemp
The 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp with the intent of creating a new American agricultural industry. Under this Bill, American farmers invested heavily in hemp cultivation but unsustainable market conditions and regulatory uncertainty soon caused the market to crash. This crash became a target for those looking to exploit the hemp definition — giving rise to a new wave of synthetic, unregulated intoxicants and compromising the integrity of the entire sector. From state houses to the hill, the Future of Hemp works to support credible hemp farmers and develop a regulatory structure anchored in public health and safety.
In November 2025, Congress issued new language clarifying their intent under the 2018 Farm Bill, reaffirming the definition of industrial hemp, and protecting the future of non-intoxicating CBD products. Learn more here.
State Authority
ATACH champions federal legislation that would protect state-legal cannabis programs from federal interference while establishing interstate commerce pathways for compliant operators. The STATES 2.0 Act represents a pragmatic step toward harmonizing federal and state cannabis policy, allowing businesses to operate across state lines while maintaining rigorous safety and quality standards.
Capital Markets Access
ATACH’s capital markets work, focuses on building credibility and regulatory clarity necessary for further engagement by institutional investors. Our Capital Markets Council has been leading this conversation with financial regulators, banking agencies, and stakeholders to remove barriers to responsible investment through pragmatic engagement that demonstrates industry maturity and a sophisticated approach to compliance.
Standards Development
Since 2018, ATACH has invested in developing the standards necessary to support a robust marketplace. As a founding member of the ASTM D37 Committee on Cannabis, ATACH has built relationships with leading researchers, scientific organizations and agencies to promote effective, fit-for-purpose standards that ease the burden of state by state regulatory frameworks.
ATACH has supported key efforts, including development and adoption of the ASTM D8441 International Intoxicating Cannabinoid Symbol (IICPS), and played an instrumental role in establishing ASTM D8197 international standard for maintaining acceptable water activity range (0.55 to 0.65) for dry cannabis flower.
After developing ASTM D8441, ATACH championed this standard through the National Conference of Weights and Measures (NCWM), resulting in its adoption by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and publication in the 2025 edition of the NIST Handbook. This work represented the first federally recognized standard for cannabis products and laid the groundwork for state adoption such as was seen in the “Operation Safe Summer” program in Florida which resulted in the removal of 85,000 illegal hemp packages in 40 counties and demonstrated the enforceability of the water activity standard when properly implemented.
Capital markets Council
The ATACH Capital Markets Council convenes on a quarterly basis, to discuss the biggest issues and barriers to capital markets access. Participation in the capital markets council is by invitation only and is extended on a limited basis to ATACH members.
Emily Paxhia
Co-Founder, Poseidon Asset Management
Charlie Bachtell
CEO of Cresco Labs
Richard Carleton
CEO of Canadian Securities Exchange
Andy Williams
CEO of Medicine Man
Sundie Seefried
CEO of Safe Harbor Services LLC
Mitch Baruchowitz
Founder of Merida Capital
Aaron Miles
CIO of Verano
Seth Goldberg
Pashman Stein
National Council of State Associations
The ATACH National Council of State Associations was founded to harmonize national cannabis policy and tackle the ongoing issue of unregulated hemp synthesized intoxicants.
Comprising 16 state associations, with plans for further expansion, ATACH’s National Council actively engages in coordinated national advocacy through an action network encompassing lobbying, public engagement, in-person and digital organizing, leadership development, data collection, and coordination with state organizations.
“ATACH’s National Council of State Organizations is a direct testament to desire among states in preserving the integrity of natural marijuana markets and promoting sensible policies for cannabis and hemp that promote health and safety. This group will empower organizations at the state level while gaining access to ATACH’s federal work,” said ATACH President Michael Bronstein.
Co-chairs of the group are Andrew Mullins, executive director of MoCannTrade and Ann Torrez, executive director of Arizona Dispensaries Association.
The National Council of State Associations includes state associations from: Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington – all of which have thousands of members across the US.
“We’ve taken efforts in Missouri to educate cannabis consumers about the dangers and differences between regulated cannabis products and unregulated products. Cannabis consumers who are not purchasing legal marijuana in licensed dispensaries have no clue what they are putting into their bodies. I’m proud to lead ATACH’s state and federal push. It’s a matter of public health and safety.”
– Andrew Mullins, Executive Director, MoCannTrade
“The intoxicating hemp market is operating in an unregulated manner – there is no uniformity across states as to how to regulate it let alone enforce regulations. I look forward to working with ATACH to bring about state uniformity and guidance to lawmakers.”
– Ann Torrez, Executive Director, Arizona Dispensaries Association
Get in touch
info@atach.org