Former GOP Rep. Rohrabacher joins board of cannabis company

Former Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) joined cannabis company BudTrader as a shareholder and advisory board member, he announced on Twitter on Tuesday. 

Rohrabacher said the move is so he can “continue the fight for cannabis legalization on a national level.”

I’m proud to announce I’ve joined https://t.co/ya09tKK9hc as a shareholder and advisory board member, so I may continue the fight for cannabis legalization on a national level.

— Dana Rohrabacher (@DanaRohrabacher) May 29, 2019

{mosads}BudTrader, based in California, is a cannabis platform considered the “Craigslist of weed.” Its CEO, Brad McLaughlin, announced plans to go public on Friday.

Rohrabacher was a champion of marijuana while in Congress. He worked to protect medical cannabis companies from prosecution by the Justice Department, efforts which first passed as the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment in 2014. He also co-founded the Cannabis Caucus in the House in 2017. 

The California Republican was first elected in 1988 and lost his reelection bid in 2018 to Rep. Harley Rouda (D-Calif.). Rohrabacher also had close Russia ties while in Congress and said that he was considered for secretary of State after President Trump’s election. 

Rohrabacher joins the ranks of former Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), in lending their help to the marijuana industry. Crowley and Daschle were named to an international cannabis board in May. 

Former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) also sits on the board of the cannabis corporation Acreage Holdings.

The marijuana industry has seen some legislative action this Congress. 

The SAFE Banking Act, which would allow banks to work with marijuana businesses that are legal under state law, passed out of the House Financial Services Committee in March and awaits a vote on the House floor.