With medical use of marijuana now legal in 33 states and recreational use legal for adults in 10 states, the normalization of cannabis is well under way — especially with the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who saw the drug through a reefer madness prism and who often hinted at the crackdowns to come against states which allowed the use of a drug that’s illegal under federal law.

Now it’s time for Congress to pass a law making it explicit that the marijuana industry has legal access to the U.S. banking system. While a new Treasury Department report shows more and more banks and credit unions are accepting marijuana business customers — 486 as of Sept. 30 — far more remain leery because of the potential for federal fines from government regulators with views like Sessions.

The industry needs help after a rough first year in California. Ending doubts about the legality of marijuana banking is crucial because the state is expected to generate much less tax revenue than the $630 million projected for fiscal 2018-2019. A more certain change, as the Southern California News Group reported last week, is that the state will crack down in 2019 on the illegal marijuana sellers that don’t pay taxes — just as it would with unauthorized sellers of tobacco or alcohol. Both steps are crucial.

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