Politics

With a legalization ballot measure set to appear on Florida’s ballot in November, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) again attacked the proposal on Wednesday, warning that the changes would be “not good for families” and “not good for elderly.” He also accused the initiative’s cannabis industry backers as being profit-driven. “People aren’t putting tens of millions of dollars behind that out of the goodness of their heart,” the governor said. “They are going to be making a lot of money… Read more.

In a new letter to the White House, a group of 20 justice and drug reform advocacy organizations are calling on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to publicly support the removal of marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) rather than merely a move to Schedule III, as the government is currently considering. Biden has said repeatedly during his campaign and term in office that “no one should be in jail merely for the use or possession of… Read more.

A congressional committee has approved a pair of GOP-led marijuana and psychedelics bills focused on military veterans’ access. About a month after the House Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee held an initial hearing on the legislation, members passed both proposals as part of an en bloc package with other measures under unanimous consent on Tuesday. The medical cannabis measure, sponsored by the subcommittee chair Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), is titled the Veterans Cannabis Analysis, Research, and Effectiveness (CARE) Act. “My bill proposes… Read more.

A Democratic congressman says recent reports of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seizing marijuana from state-licensed businesses in New Mexico underscores how the Biden administration is “not doing enough to protect states who are not waiting for the federal government to catch up.” Over the past two months, CBP has seized hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cannabis products from state-legal operators—a recent trend that seemingly conflicts with the administration’s non-intervention position for state marijuana laws. “The Biden-Harris Administration… Read more.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) are soliciting support for a federal marijuana legalization bill that they plan to introduce later this month, setting a sign-on deadline for original cosponsors on the eve of the cannabis holiday 4/20. In a Dear Colleague letter that was circulated on Tuesday, the senators said that a “growing number of Americans have made it clear, at ballot boxes, through their legislatures, and… Read more.

A majority of cannabis consumers who are likely to vote in this fall’s general election say they would vote for a pro-cannabis candidate regardless of their party affiliation, according to the results of a recent survey. The poll, which was conducted by the medical marijuana telehealth platform NuggMD, found that 59% of likely voters who use weed would cast their ballot for a pro-cannabis presidential candidate regardless of that candidate’s political party. NuggMD’s 2024 Election Poll surveyed 755 cannabis users about their… Read more.

A GOP senator is calling on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to “reverse” its updated policy that narrows the window of employment ineligibility over past marijuana use from two years to three months, arguing that it “undermines the security and integrity of the Border Patrol workforce” and questioning the “trustworthiness” of recruits who used cannabis. In a letter sent to CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller on Sunday, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) said he’s “very concerned about the impact” of… Read more.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) says that “if Republicans want to keep the House,” they should pass a marijuana banking bill, arguing that “there are votes” to approve it. She also said it’s “mind-boggling” that Virginia’s GOP governor recently vetoed a bill to legalize cannabis sales given the issues’s broad bipartisan popularity. In an interview on The Dales Report’s “Trade To Black” podcast on Wednesday, the pro-legalization congresswoman weighed in on a wide range of marijuana policy issues, including her support… Read more.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) predicts that voters will reject a marijuana legalization initiative on the ballot in November, calling the proposal “radical” and arguing that it will “reduce the quality of life” in the state. Just days after the Florida Supreme Court cleared the cannabis measure for the ballot, rejecting the state attorney general’s constitutional challenge, the governor addressed the issue at a press conference on Thursday. DeSantis said the marijuana legalization proposal goes beyond simple decriminalization and is “basically… Read more.

The Florida Supreme Court’s decision to allow a marijuana legalization initiative to appear on the state’s November ballot will likely draw unique national attention to this year’s election because of one Florida resident who will get to decide on the reform: former President Donald Trump. While both presumptive presidential nominees—Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden—can reasonably expect to be asked about the issue as they campaign in the Sunshine State, Trump will actually get to cast his vote when he fills out… Read more.

A representative from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has expressed the agency's intention to dispel any misunderstandings surrounding its drug scheduling review process, emphasizing a commitment to transparency. The DEA is currently in the process of potentially reclassifying marijuana and aims to ensure clarity in its decision-making. The official noted that the analysis of recommendations from health authorities can take up to six months, coinciding with the timeframe since the commencement of the current cannabis assessment by the agency. Unveiling DEA's Discussion… Read more.

Florida’s Supreme Court is fast approaching a deadline—midnight on Monday—to render an opinion in a case that will decide whether a marijuana legalization initiative will appear on the state ballot this November. But while expectations were that it would issue its decision on Thursday, as it traditionally posts opinions on that day of the week, the court declined to do so—raising procedural questions about what to expect next with time running thin, and what might happen if justices miss the… Read more.

Three Republican senators are urging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to reject the top federal health agency’s marijuana rescheduling recommendation, arguing that it would put the U.S. out of compliance with international treaty obligations and make it harder to ensure that other countries continue to enforce drug laws, “including for deadly narcotics like fentanyl.” In a letter sent to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram on Wednesday, Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), James Risch (R-ID) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) said the agency should… Read more.

A strong majority of voters—including more than 60 percent of Republicans—support congressional legislation to protect states’ rights to set their own marijuana laws, according to a new poll of three states. The survey, commissioned by the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR), focused on Missouri, Ohio and Wyoming. It asked voters 21 and older about their views on the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act. The bill, which is being led by Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH)… Read more.

Connecticut lawmakers have approved a bill to decriminalize psilocybin in a bicameral committee. About two weeks after the legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee first discussed the psychedelics proposal, members approved it on Tuesday. The legislation would make possession of up to one-half an ounce of psilocybin punishable by a $150 fine, without the threat of jail time. A second or subsequent violation would carry a fine of at least $200 but not more than $500. A person who pleads guilty or no… Read more.

A Republican House advisory committee is formally opposing marijuana banking legislation and a separate bill to remove past cannabis use as a disqualifying factor for federal employment and security clearances, while broadly criticizing the substance as a “gateway drug” that causes “violence, depression and suicide.” The House Republican Policy Committee’s new marijuana report also says that Vice President Kamala Harris was “mistaken” when she said cannabis brings people “joy” as a 2020 presidential candidate, instead arguing that it is a “hazardous drug with… Read more.

The Biden administration’t top health official has again defended his department’s recommendation to reschedule marijuana against Republican criticism, while pointing out that the incremental move would not decriminalize cannabis despite the president’s campaign pledges to do so. During a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health And Human Services, Education, And Related Agencies on Wednesday, several members addressed the cannabis scheduling review, including two GOP members who oppose the reform and a Democrat who helped advance a legalization… Read more.

Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized on Friday that no one should be imprisoned for using cannabis and encouraged the federal government to move quickly to reschedule the drug. "Prompt action must be taken," said Harris. "We need to make a decision based on careful investigation and evaluation. It's ridiculous that marijuana is considered to be as harmful as heroin, let alone more dangerous than fentanyl, demonstrating how seriously flawed the present categorization of the drug is. This defies logic and is… Read more.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a new memo clarifying the rules for reporting large cash payments between marijuana businesses, which the agency says should not automatically be considered “suspicious” just because of the federally prohibited nature of the industry. In the memo, IRS says it is responding to a request for guidance on how cannabis businesses should approach Form 8300, a document that must be completed when a company receives a cash payment of $10,000 or more. “The… Read more.

Vice President Kamala Harris (D) said on Friday that it’s “absurd” and “patently unfair” to rank cannabis above fentanyl and alongside heroin at Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), according to a CNN report. The vice president made the statement during a roundtable discussion covering the Biden Administration’s latest cannabis reform efforts. Moderated by musician and philanthropist Fat Joe, the discussion included Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) — who last year announced the pardoning of low-level cannabis possession charges — and a group… Read more.

For the first time in 234 years, the American president’s State of the Union Address (SOTU) praised cannabis reform efforts, reminding Americans the leader up for reelection believes “No one should be jailed just for using or possessing marijuana.” During his speech before a joint session of Congress on March 7, President Joe Biden made a concerted effort to promote his pardons and the rescheduling review request currently underway at the Drug Enforcement Administration. His team doubled down on the messaging with multiple social media… Read more.

Bicameral congressional leaders have released a spending package that contains a number of marijuana-related items—including bill provisions preserving protections for state medical cannabis programs and report language that calls for the federal government to study state legalization laws and expand scientists’ access to commercially available cannabis for research. The legislation covering Fiscal Year 2024 was posted on Sunday by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, with bipartisan legislators aiming to pass the package this week before the latest continuing resolution… Read more.

Six of the country’s top veterans groups and a group of U.S. law enforcement leaders sent letters on Thursday urging the Biden Administration to reschedule cannabis under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The development comes amid rumors that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) could soon announce a cannabis scheduling decision, and six months after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended that cannabis be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA. In a… Read more.

One of the co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus sent a letter to the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Thursday, urging the agency to release more information about its ongoing review of marijuana’s scheduling status under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA)—including what its “planned deadline” is for finishing and whether it will take into account the fact that many states have already legalized cannabis. “Clear and proactive communication is critical as this formal scheduling review moves… Read more.

Vice President Kamala Harris says the administration’s move to pardon people for federal marijuana possession offenses is an example of how it is delivering for Americans, particularly young and Black voters who could be key to President Joe Biden’s reelection bid this year. The White House also cited the cannabis clemency move in a new fact sheet on efforts to “advance racial justice and equity and ensure the promise of America for all communities.” Speaking with Gray DC in South… Read more.

Nearly seven years after then Pres. Donald Trump tweeted about Snoop Dogg's "failing career," the rapper now says in a new interview, "I have nothing but love for Donald Trump." Snoop added: "Donald Trump? He ain't done nothing wrong to me. He has done only great things for me. He pardoned Michael Harris." Who Is Michael Harris? Michael "Harry-O" Harris co-founded Death Row Records with Suge Knight in 1991. It's the West Coast hip-hop label that introduced Dr. Dre and Snoop to the world.… Read more.

President Joe Biden is again inflating the impact of his pardons for marijuana offenses, falsely suggesting that his act of clemency “expunged” records and that people were released from prison. “A promise made and a promise kept,” he said during a campaign speech in South Carolina on Saturday. “I keep my promises when I said no one—no one—should be in prison for merely possessing marijuana or using it, and their records should be expunged,” Biden said. The president has routinely framed… Read more.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) says he doesn’t support Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) call for a crackdown on the nicotine product Zyn because it’s a matter of “freedom and personal choices,” drawing parallels to his reasons for supporting marijuana legalization. Schumer said earlier this week that he’s asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the health impacts and marketing of the nicotine pouches that have been popularized on social media in a… Read more.

The sudden cancellation of a state cannabis licensing board meeting scheduled for Wednesday left applicants hoping to run weed businesses fuming. After learning of the cancellation Tuesday evening, LakeHouse Cannabis CEO Paul Suits Jr. sent a two page document outlining his frustrations trying to win a dispensary license to the Office of Cannabis Management—remarks he had planned to read aloud at the state Cannabis Control Board meeting. Suits applied in October for a retail license to sell in Cortland, New… Read more.

The Justice Department has asked a federal court to dismiss a cannabis industry lawsuit that seeks to block the enforcement of marijuana prohibition against state-legal activity—in part, it says, because the court should not get ahead of a possible cannabis rescheduling decision that’s being considered. In a document filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Western Division, on Tuesday, lawyers for Attorney General Merrick Garland said that Congress “rationally set up an administrative process for rescheduling drugs.” “Pursuant to… Read more.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) says a marijuana legalization initiative will be on the state’s November ballot, predicting a favorable legal outcome for activists in the Supreme Court in the face of a challenge from the attorney general who is seeking to block the vote. Days before dropping out of the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, DeSantis was asked about the prospect of legalization making the Florida ballot by cannabis lobbyist Don Murphy. “I think the court is… Read more.

A leading cannabis group is planning to mobilize the “largest bi-partisan coalition of cannabis advocacy, industry, and grassroots organizations” that will convene in Washington, D.C. to push for federal reform just ahead of the marijuana holiday 4/20 this year. Organized by the Last Prisoner Project (LPP), the meeting will feature an ideologically diverse collection of advocates and stakeholders to promote legalization centered in equity, the organization said in a press release on Thursday. LPP has also released a new memo… Read more.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, says he would federally legalize Schedule I drugs such as marijuana and psychedelics for military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) if he’s elected. His plan involves having the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provide access to the currently illegal substances as an alternative to fentanyl. During a virtual town hall event ahead of the Iowa caucus, Ramaswamy was asked why medical cannabis hasn’t been federally legalized and took the opportunity to tout his… Read more.

It’s “not too late” for the current Congress to pass sensible marijuana reform legislation and end the “insane” prohibitionist policies of the war on drugs, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) says. In an impassioned speech on the House floor on Thursday, the founding member of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus said he is both “sad” and “angry” over the continued federal inaction on marijuana reform, arguing that it’s “time for Congress to stop making this problem worse.” “I’ve been working for 50… Read more.

The consumption of marijuana has surged dramatically, with a notable instance in Michigan, where recreational use has recently been legalized. In its first year, marijuana sales are poised to exceed $3 billion, propelled by a remarkable performance in July. This upswing can be attributed to Generation Z opting for marijuana over alcohol, considering it a healthier alternative. However, the industry faces challenges such as disorderly state enforcement, burdensome taxes, and restrictive regulations, including the absence of interstate commerce, leading to significant disruptions.… Read more.

Bipartisan Washington State lawmakers prefiled a Senate bill last week that would allow nonprofits to provide psilocybin services to clients 21 and older so long as the organizations “have an explicit goal of promoting wellness for and assisting military veterans or first responders.” Sponsored by Sens. Jesse Salomon (D) and Ann Rivers (R), SB 5977 appears to build on the state’s limited psychedelics pilot program signed into law last year, which is also aimed at serving veterans and first responders, including… Read more.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) says he would “respect the decisions that states make” on marijuana legalization if he’s elected president, despite his personal view that the reform has a “negative impact.” At a campaign event in Iowa on Saturday, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate briefly shared how he would navigate the growing state legalization movement from the White House, pledging to adopt a hands-off approach like that of prior administrations from both parties. DeSantis started by noting that Florida… Read more.

President Joe Biden signed off on a new defense bill that includes provisions for funding clinical trials on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs for active-duty military personnel. The president approved 2024’s National Defense Authorization Act on Dec. 22, a week after Congress green lit the package and sent it to his desk earlier last month. In a statement, Biden made no remarks or references to the specific language regarding psychedelic treatment for military members. The NDAA allocates $10 million for the Department… Read more.

South Dakota officials have cleared the way for paid circulators to start collecting signatures for a 2024 marijuana legalization ballot initiative as the activist-led campaign continues to evaluate next steps. Late last month, the secretary of state’s office approved a circulator handout submitted by South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML), a requirement that will allow the campaign to deploy paid canvassers to gather signatures along with its existing grassroots network of volunteers who have already been distributing petitions. The… Read more.

Dean Phillips, the Minnesota congressman challenging Joe Biden in the Democratic primary, said in a newly published interview that the president is too old and out of touch to understand contemporary cannabis issues. “I think it’s generational,” Phillips said. “People in their 80s do not see things, have not lived things, have not experienced things that younger generations have.” Phillips, 54, was speaking to Newsweek as part of a wide-ranging interview about his presidential ambitions and what differentiates him from… Read more.

President Joe Biden on Friday issued a proclamation expanding a marijuana pardon initiative he began last year by including for the first time people who committed cannabis possession offenses on federal properties. “Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in a statement. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.” “Just as no one should be… Read more.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says lawmakers will “hit the ground running” in 2024, aiming to build on bipartisan progress on several key issues, including marijuana banking reform—though he noted it “won’t be easy.” As the Senate recesses for the holidays, Schumer delivered a floor speech on Wednesday touting the chamber’s 2023 legislative achievements, while emphasizing that “there’s a lot we must do” in the second half of the 118th Congress. Senators “made large progress in a bipartisan way… Read more.

As the year comes to a close and lawmakers prepare to recess, newly released survey data reveals that Capitol Hill staff and lobbyists are so far vindicated in their pessimism about the prospects of marijuana reform in the 118th Congress. Asked whether they think any type of cannabis reform would pass during this two-year Congress, 71 percent of top legislative staff that participated in the Canvass Capitol Hill Survey released by Punchbowl News on Tuesday said it was “unlikely.” That’s… Read more.

In a letter sent to the heads of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) this week, 29 former U.S. attorneys are urging the Biden administration to leave cannabis in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), arguing that “marijuana has only become more dangerous, potent, and addictive” since the government last reviewed its scheduling in 2016. The correspondence comes as DEA continues its review of marijuana’s scheduling after the U.S. Department of Health and Human… Read more.

President Joe Biden signed an emergency funding bill into law on Thursday to avert a government shutdown. Notably, the legislation also extends the Farm Bill until September 2024, granting Congress additional time to formulate a new one. Advocates anticipate that the upcoming bill will address the expanding national market for hemp-derived cannabinoids, including the contentious delta-8 THC. As lawmakers embark on crafting replacement legislation, their focus will encompass the requirements of domestic agriculture, with specific attention to the concerns of hemp farmers and… Read more.

Lawmakers in Lubbock, Texas have officially approved a resolution to put a local marijuana decriminalization initiative on the ballot next spring after declining to enact on the reform legislatively. The Lubbock City Council voted on Tuesday to schedule a special election on the issue for May 4, 2024. This comes one month after legislators unanimously rejected the decriminalization proposal that was put on the agenda after activists submitted enough signatures to force its consideration. The committee behind the marijuana initiative first filed… Read more.

The governors of six U.S. states—Colorado, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Louisiana—sent a letter to President Joe Biden (D) on Tuesday urging the administration to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act by the end of this year. The move, they say, will provide economic and tax benefits for cannabis businesses, protect public health and more closely align government policy with public opinion. “Rescheduling cannabis aligns with a safe, regulated product that Americans can trust,”… Read more.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is actively working to secure Republican support for the long-awaited marijuana banking reform bill. Schumer has invested considerable political capital in advancing the SAFER Banking Act. The proposed legislation, if enacted, would prevent federal regulators from penalizing financial institutions for providing essential services like bank accounts, payroll services, and credit card transaction processing to marijuana businesses that are legal at the state level. The SAFER Banking Act underwent two Senate hearings this year, with approval during a significant… Read more.

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, didn’t “literally” mean it when he said President Joe Biden should smoke some marijuana earlier this month, he now says. “Truth is I wouldn’t recommend he start now,” the congressman said on Tuesday, reversing the tongue-in-cheek comments he made at a New Hampshire campaign event, where he also cast doubt on whether the president has smoked “or even smelled weed.” At the time, he said indulging in some cannabis might help Biden understand… Read more.

The Supreme Court on Monday heard the case of a defendant seeking to reduce his criminal penalty for firearm possession as the result of the federal government’s legalization of hemp in 2018. At issue are the boundaries of the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), a 1984 law that imposes penalties on gun possession for people with past violent felonies or serious drug offenses. Initially the law imposes a 10-year maximum penalty for having a firearm, but after three offenses, a… Read more.

A New Hampshire commission charged with drafting legislation to legalize marijuana through a system of state-controlled stores decided at its final meeting on Monday not to issue recommendations at all. The conclusion leaves open questions about how lawmakers will proceed with cannabis reform in the coming 2024 session. After months of meetings, the 19-member panel ultimately failed to reach consensus on the issue. Adding to the disarray was a last-minute demand by Gov. Chris Sununu (R)—who has threatened to veto… Read more.

U.S. Representative Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), vying for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination against President Joe Biden, has thrown a unique challenge at the president—to share a joint. Phillips contends that such an experience might help Biden grasp the "awfully hypocritical" disparity in the U.S., where alcohol consumption is accepted while cannabis use remains criminalized. During a New Hampshire town hall with students from New England College, Phillips commended Ohio's recent move to legalize adult-use cannabis, drawing a sharp contrast to Biden's… Read more.

A group of Democratic lawmakers has written a letter to federal financial regulators calling on them to update rules that hinder cannabis business owners with past convictions for marijuana-related crimes. In the letter to the Treasury Department, 20 Democratic Senators and members of the House of Representatives wrote that the proposed change “would be an important step to promote fairness in the provision of financial services to marijuana businesses that participate in state-sanctioned marijuana activity.” Under current guidance from the… Read more.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is calling on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to act with “great urgency” to reschedule marijuana in line with a recommendation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In a letter sent to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram last week, the senator said that while she remains “under the strong conviction that marijuana should be descheduled entirely,” the agency should, “at a minimum,” move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act… Read more.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has approved a Senate-passed bill to allow all licensed medical marijuana grower-processors in the state to sell their cannabis products directly to patients. The legislation—which has been amended to further grant grower permits to independent dispensaries—cleared the chamber in a 114-89 vote on Wednesday. Because it was revised, it must return to the Senate for concurrence before it’s potentially sent to the governor’s desk. Under the measure, sponsored by Sen. Chris Gebhard (R), the state… Read more.

The Biden administration has once again found itself in federal court defending a ban preventing people who use marijuana from buying or possessing firearms, arguing that historical precedent “comfortably” supports the restriction and that cannabis consumers with guns pose a unique danger to society, in part because they’re “unlikely” to store their weapon properly before using marijuana. In a brief submitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Wednesday, attorneys for the Justice Department responded to… Read more.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) might be retiring at the end of this Congress, but he’s still got boxes he wants to check off on an ambitious agenda to reform federal marijuana laws before his final bike ride from Capitol Hill. The Oregon congressman, a founding co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus who has spent decades championing marijuana legalization, intends to make the most out of his last 14 months in office. He thinks bipartisan cannabis banking reform is still in play, for… Read more.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, says that if he’s elected, he would remove federal restrictions on marijuana and psychedelics such as ayahuasca and MDMA to free up access for military veterans suffering from serious mental health conditions. The entrepreneur has previously discussed his support for psychedelics reform, but he’s now calling for descheduling as part of his veterans policy platform that’s meant to take a “holistic approach” the high rates of substance misuse and suicide within the veteran population.… Read more.

Speaking at a cannabis industry event on Thursday, a former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official said he’d be “shocked” if the Drug Enforcement Administration doesn’t reschedule marijuana by next year’s presidential election. “I would be really shocked if it took the DEA longer than the second quarter of next year to come up with its final rule,” said Howard Sklamberg, former FDA deputy commissioner for global regulatory operations and compliance. “Even when I was at FDA, we knew that… Read more.

A recent survey reveals that over two-thirds of Kansans are in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana. Still, legislative efforts to permit even medical cannabis use in Kansas continue to face obstacles from Republican members of the State Senate. Once more, a recent poll reinforces the widespread endorsement from Kansans for the legalization of marijuana, be it for medicinal or recreational reasons. Nevertheless, the likelihood of the state venturing into the cannabis industry remains highly uncertain. Supporters and legislators in favor of medical… Read more.

Lawmakers in Wyoming are making a second attempt on legislation to ban intoxicating hemp products after the Joint Judiciary Committee in September scrapped their first attempt after pushback from hemp companies, according to a WyoFile report. State Rep. Art Washut (R) told WyoFile that “The first draft went too far in terms of causing a threat” to the state’s hemp farmers, and lawmakers “didn’t want to go there.” The new proposal would ban the addition of “synthetic substances” to hemp and would prohibit hemp… Read more.

Ohio voters on Tuesday passed a ballot initiative to legalize adult-use marijuana, but one resident who voted against the change was GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Although the 38-year-old pharmaceutical company founder has said he supports legal access to marijuana and psychedelics, he opposed legalization in his home state. “I voted no on that one,” Ramaswamy said on CNN Tuesday night, as the network projected that voters had passed the legalization measure, Issue 2. “I think it’s an abandonment of the rule… Read more.

In a letter to President Joe Biden (D), the Marijuana Justice Coalition and Cannabis Freedom Alliance said that the administration’s plans to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act “would simply maintain federal criminalization” of state-approved medical and adult-use cannabis programs, calling instead for full descheduling under federal law.   The letter notes that, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation data, nearly 250,000 individuals were arrested nationwide for cannabis-related crimes in 2021 and that Black people were arrested at… Read more.

A congressional committee is urging the Justice Department to study the effectiveness of state regulatory frameworks for marijuana—and the panel is also pushing for researchers to be able to study the cannabis products that consumers purchase in legal states. The House Appropriations Committee included the cannabis language in spending bill reports that were released last week as lawmakers work to pass appropriations legislation for multiple federal agencies. For the bill covering Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), there’s new… Read more.

A new forecast of Virginia’s election predicts that Democrats are likely to win control of both chambers of the legislature on Tuesday—a result some advocates believe could open the door for lawmakers to legalize retail cannabis sales in the state. A separate poll, meanwhile, found 58 percent support among likely voters for allowing marijuana sales to proceed. While marijuana legalization technically isn’t on Virginia’s ballot this week, advocates expect the results of the statewide election to shape the future of marijuana… Read more.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That seems to be the motto of one Democratic congressman who has spent the past few months repeatedly attempting to prevent the use of federal funds to drug test job applicants for marijuana. As more states have legalized cannabis in some form, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) has committed to enacting the modest reform as by filing it as a proposed amendment to 12 separate appropriations bills covering multiple federal agencies. So… Read more.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent 2024 presidential candidate, says the U.S. needs to “legalize pot to end addiction.” In a campaign ad that pulls clips from a September C-SPAN interview, Kennedy describes his plan to federally legalize marijuana and earmark tax revenue for substance misuse treatment and rehabilitation. The candidate, who launched his campaign as a Democrat before switching to independent last month, said he wants to build that infrastructure “as part of my presidency,” adding that the “renewal centers of detoxification”… Read more.

Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D), a founding member of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, on Monday announced he will not seek reelection. In a Facebook post, Blumenauer, who served as a member of Congress for 27 years, said “Now, it is time to refocus on a narrower set of priorities.”   Blumenauer served as an Oregon state lawmaker in 1973 when the state decriminalized cannabis and has been an ardent supporter of federal cannabis reforms since his election to the House of Representatives in 1996. He… Read more.

The Trump campaign took a swipe at 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, urging the Florida governor to pick up some marijuana edibles while visiting Nevada to de-stress from the race. Steven Cheung, spokesperson for former President Donald Trump, made the comments on Saturday, remarking on the stagnant polling numbers for DeSantis. “Maybe Ron should consider visiting a smoke shop and buy some edibles to take the stress away, something Jeff Roe should know about since he’s lobbying for… Read more.

After a half century advocating for marijuana reform—including 27 years representing Oregon’s 3rd district in Congress—Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) announced on Monday that he will not be seeking reelection next year. The congressman, a founding co-chair of the Cannabis Caucus and architect of a federal marijuana legalization “blueprint,” has earned the respect of advocates, stakeholders and lawmakers across the aisle as he’s worked to navigate challenging waters on Capitol Hill, where even modest cannabis legislation has consistently stalled despite the… Read more.

Rep. Dean Phillips (D) is challenging incumbent President Joe Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination—and the congressman’s drug policy record reflects a consistent commitment to reform at the state and federal level. Phillips officially entered the race on October 27, stating that while he thinks the president has done an effective job to date, Biden’s slumping poll numbers raise concerns about his viability in the election, and he’s hoping to offer an alternative pathway for Democrats. When it comes… Read more.

As the U.S. House of Representatives enters its third week without a speaker, more GOP lawmakers with varying records on marijuana policy are making their bids for the nomination—including a member who has been arrested for cannabis and another who co-chairs a congressional psychedelics caucus. Most of the candidates in the leadership race have voted in favor of cannabis banking reform, even if they’ve been unsupportive of broader legalization. After Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted as speaker in a historic… Read more.

A congressional subcommittee’s hearing on the use of psychedelic-assisted treatments for mental health disorders that was originally scheduled for Thursday has been postponed, the panel announced after another failed vote to elect a House speaker on Wednesday. It’s not yet clear when the rescheduled event will be. The hearing of the House Veterans Affairs’ Subcommittee on Health was set to be the first time federal lawmakers ever convened a formal hearing primarily to discuss how entheogenic substances such as psilocybin… Read more.

The lead GOP Senate cosponsor of a bipartisan marijuana banking bill says a planned floor vote is on pause until he can ensure the legislation will later pass the Republican-controlled House, according to a cannabis financing executive who spoke with the senator this week. While the House prospects of the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act have long factored into Senate leadership’s thinking, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) apparently made it clear in his conversation with Pelorus Capital Group… Read more.

Marianne Williamson, a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, says the federal government should “fully legalize” certain psychedelics like psilocybin for therapeutic use and cover the costs for patients under a universal healthcare system. In a new plan focused on mental health, Williamson laid out 10 proposals that she said would help address the country’s “record levels of suicide, depression, anxiety, and toxic stress.” That includes legalizing psychedelic-assisted therapy with full insurance coverage. “For some of the most widespread mental health challenges we… Read more.

Six former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) heads and five former White House drug czars have sent a letter to the attorney general and current DEA administrator, voicing opposition to the top federal health agency’s recommendation to reschedule marijuana. They also made a questionable claim about the relationship between drug schedules and criminal penalties in a way that may exaggerate the potential impact of the incremental reform. The letter, sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram on… Read more.

Last Prisoner Project highlighted some startling realities despite recent promises and movement at the federal level to loosen laws around the prohibition of cannabis.  One year after President Joe Biden pledged to expunge certain low-level cannabis convictions, Last Prisoner Project released its State of Cannabis Cannabis Justice Report last week. While promises have been made, has anyone actually been released from prison? On Oct. 6, 2022, Biden announced historic steps to advance the end of cannabis prohibition in the country by pardoning… Read more.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) was the sole Democrat to vote against a marijuana banking reform bill during a committee markup last month. In a new interview, the senator described his vote as an effort at making important equity improvements while there’s still a chance to do so. “I’m worried that if we pass a bill with all of the fees and the revenue that comes, and not begin to address the issue of restorative justice, we’re not going to go… Read more.

A large cannabis operation with 22 buildings spanning over 11 acres must temporarily cease operations as hundreds of employees are fighting for their jobs, culminating in a chaotic Sacramento City Council meeting. Law enforcement officials ordered Natura to close on Oct. 2, a farm located on Elder Creek Road near Power Inn Road, citing fire code violations that make the Morrison Creek district buildings unsafe for its 450 employees. Nautra now must work with the city to bring its 22… Read more.

In a letter to Division of Arkansas Crime Information Operations Director Rick Stallings, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) outlined safety concerns with the state agency’s decision to allow medical cannabis patients to receive concealed handgun carry licenses (CHCL).   In the letter, signed by Marianna Mitchem, chief of the Firearms and Explosives Industry Division Office of Enforcement Programs and Services, wrote that the “ATF is concerned that the issuance of CHCLs to individuals who are prohibited by Federal law from… Read more.

With early voting in Ohio beginning next week, the campaign behind a ballot measure to legalize marijuana released a new campaign ad on Friday in support of the policy change. Attorney General Dave Yost (R), meanwhile, published an analysis of the initiative that he said is meant to provide voters with “vital clarity and transparency” amid a campaign that has seen “inflamed and inaccurate” rhetoric. The new ad from the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the primary backer of… Read more.

It was one year ago on Friday that President Joe Biden issued a mass marijuana pardon and directed an administrative scheduling review. Lawmakers and advocates say it’s time to do more. While there is broad based consensus among reform supporters that the president’s action last year represented a positive step in the right direction, on this first anniversary they’re emphasizing that it was exactly that: just a step and not, by any means, the end of the federal government’s war on… Read more.

A bipartisan marijuana banking measure has received the Senate Banking Committee's unanimous support, marking a historic development in the ongoing struggle to address the intricate financial issues affecting the cannabis industry according to Reuters.This landmark decision has significant ramifications for a sector that has struggled for years with regulations that have largely compelled legitimate cannabis businesses to function primarily in cash. The Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, supported by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT), is the fundamental… Read more.

With Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) ousted as House speaker in a historic vote to vacate the position on Tuesday, cannabis policy observers are wondering how the new GOP leadership will approach marijuana banking, legalization and other reform issues. Who will take the speakership is yet to be seen, but so far Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) have announced they are running for the top House position. Based on their records, marijuana reform advocates… Read more.

A cannabis banking bill was revised in several different ways under an amendment adopted by the Senate Banking Committee during Wednesday’s markup, according to text that has not yet been officially posted by the panel but which was obtained by Marijuana Moment. As the debate started, the committee first approved the amendment from Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH), which was described as a mix of technical changes and revisions requested by bipartisan members. It touches on issues related to federal guidance for banks… Read more.

New Jersey officials have announced the availability of $5.5 million in marijuana revenue to support a hospital-based violence intervention grants program.Grants will be awarded beginning next year, Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin (D) said in a press release. Launched in 2020, the New Jersey Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program connects survivors of violent crime, including gun violence, with community-based organizations that provide support services “starting at their bedside.”“These innovative violence intervention programs allow providers to tend… Read more.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says the bipartisan committee vote to advance a marijuana banking bill on Wednesday “underscores how much momentum we have right now” as he plans to bring the legislation to the floor “soon” and attach “very significant criminal justice provisions.” In a floor speech on Thursday, Schumer said he’s “really proud of the bipartisan deal we produced” ahead of the Senate Banking Committee markup that saw the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act pass in… Read more.

A bipartisan coalition of 22 state attorneys general is calling on Congress to pass a marijuana banking bill that cleared a key Senate committee on Wednesday. In a letter sent to congressional leaders on Tuesday, the top law enforcement officials of nearly half the states in the U.S. said they have a “strong interest in enabling economic growth and stability while simultaneously protecting the physical and economic wellbeing of constituents working in this industry.” Citing the fact that a majority of states… Read more.

Republican senators, including the lead GOP sponsor of a bipartisan marijuana banking bill, are gearing up to introduce new legislation designed to thwart any federal legalization of marijuana by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) without explicit approval from Congress. Senators Leading the Charge The fight against potential federal marijuana legalization without congressional permission is being led by Senators Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming (R-WY) and Steve Daines of Montana (R-MT). Regarding cannabis policy, Senator Lummis has continuously defended states' rights, firmly believing… Read more.

A pro-business, center-left group of House Democratic lawmakers is pushing to use the next Farm Bill to reduce regulatory burdens on industrial hemp growers. The New Democrat Coalition, which is comprised of nearly 100 House members and describes itself as “united behind a mission to build an economy that works for every American,” released an endorsement slate on Monday that lays out policy priorities as lawmakers begin to craft the 2023 Farm Bill. One of the 44 bills they want… Read more.

President Joe Biden is again touting his mass marijuana pardon from last year, referencing the act of clemency at a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation awards ceremony. “I’m keeping my promise that no one—no one—should be in jail merely for the use or possession of marijuana. God Almighty,” the president exclaimed. “And those who are in jail, they’re going to be released and the records are going to be expunged.” The speech at the event with Black lawmakers is just the… Read more.

A group that represents state lawmakers across the U.S. is urging Senate leaders to pass a bipartisan marijuana banking bill to provide a “much-needed solution” to the “unsafe and untenable” challenges that the cannabis industry faces under prohibition. In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Monday, National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) CEO Tim Storey expressed the organization’s support for the revised Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER)… Read more.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is proposing a dramatic restructuring of the federal government’s workforce, in part by eliminating certain agencies like the FBI. But, at the same time, he wants to keep and significantly expand the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) despite having criticized the broader war on drugs. The 38-year-old presidential hopeful—who has voiced support for legalizing marijuana and decriminalizing certain psychedelics—detailed his plan to fire about 75 percent of federal workers and shutter key agencies during a recent domestic… Read more.

In a letter to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram, 14 Republican lawmakers urged the agency to reject the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommendation to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act to Schedule III.  “It is irresponsible for HHS to recommend that marijuana be removed from Schedule I. It would also be irresponsible for DEA to act on this recommendation,” the letter states. “Our country relies on DEA to enforce our nation’s drug laws.… Read more.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) says a bipartisan marijuana banking will pass “decisively” out of his panel next week, as senators discuss possible tweaks on its path to the floor and anti-drug advocates decry the reform as a public safety hazard. The revised Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act that’s due for a committee markup next Wednesday might not enjoy the same level of support as other unrelated bills that recently moved out of the panel,… Read more.

A new report from the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR) looking at the nation’s illicit cannabis market makes a number of policy suggestions aimed at reining in unlicensed marijuana sales. Among them, the group calls for a centralized, nationwide track-and-trace system as well as marijuana tax stamps to help “distinguish regulated cannabis products from illicit products.” “Eliminating the illicit market requires a multifaceted approach, one that leverages technology and data and relies on collaboration between law enforcement… Read more.

Marijuana Moment is reporting a group of 14 Republican congressional members is calling on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to oppose the top federal health agency's suggestion to change the scheduling of marijuana, advocating instead for it to remain in the most stringent category as per the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). In a letter addressed to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram on Monday, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX) took the lead, along with twelve other colleagues from both chambers. They asserted… Read more.

A marijuana banking bill that’s set for a Senate committee markup next week has an updated title and several new provisions related to federal financial regulations, guidance and reporting requirements, according to a summary that is circulating. And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Tuesday he intends to “bring this legislation to the floor with all due speed.” The title of the measure is being extended by one word. The bill that’s being circulated ahead of the Senate Banking… Read more.

Kansas City, Missouri officials have green-lighted using proceeds from a 3 percent municipal tax on marijuana to fund a violence prevention program in the city. The City Council on Thursday approved a proposal to put $458,000 in proceeds from the local cannabis tax, which voters approved in April, toward the city’s Aim4Peace initiative, which works with local communities and survivors of violent crime. All told, the city estimates it should make roughly $3 million each year from legal sales after the tax… Read more.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) has tapped the former CEO of the state’s first licensed cannabis grower as state program manager for cannabis, CT Insider reports. Jennifer Mandzuk worked at Theraplant from 2014 until January and served as the company’s CEO since July 2022, the report says.  DCP spokesperson Kaitlyn Krasselt told Insider that “Agencies often hire subject matter experts from the industry to ensure high quality, experienced staff.”  The state ethics office told Insider that the state’s code of ethics “does not… Read more.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a 2024 presidential candidate, is again calling for federally legalizing marijuana, opening up banking services for the industry and using cannabis tax revenue to fund drug treatment and rehabilitation centers. During an appearance on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal on Wednesday, Kennedy, who is running as a Democrat, took a question from a Republican caller who asked him to lay out his position on cannabis policy. The son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John… Read more.

The Senate Banking Committee will not be voting on cannabis banking legislation next week, despite the suggestions of some key insiders and analysts. While top Senate players on both sides of the aisle have indicated that they’re prepared to move the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act this fall after a “productive” August recess, a Banking Committee spokesperson told Marijuana Moment on Monday that the “markup won’t be next week.” To be clear, no lawmakers involved in the legislation have publicly… Read more.

A Republican congressman who opposes cannabis legalization is demanding answers about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’s (HHS) recent recommendation to reschedule marijuana, writing in a letter to the Biden administration that he’s “very concerned” about the agency’s guidance. In a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) lists 11 questions he wants the agency to answer by October 3. The questions include inquiries about how HHS arrived at its rescheduling recommendation, which officials “were consulted… Read more.

During a presidential campaign event in Iowa on Saturday, Ron DeSantis reaffirmed his stance against the legalisation of marijuana. He expressed worries about the potential for young children to access cannabis contaminated with fentanyl. DeSantis underscored that he sees this issue as a pressing modern concern, differing greatly from substances used decades ago. He thinks that such substances' usage among the youth leads to a myriad of problems. Additionally, he highlighted the severe toll drugs are taking on the nation. The… Read more.

The head of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), which is set to vote on a referendum to legalize cannabis for adults on Thursday, says he believes efforts by an anti-marijuana North Carolina GOP congressman to insert himself into the tribe’s internal affairs could ultimately cause more members to support of the measure. In an interview this week with Marijuana Moment, EBCI Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed said it was a “big misstep” for U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) to run… Read more.

As the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina prepares for a vote on the legalization of adult-use cannabis, U.S. Representative Chuck Edwards (R) has issued a threat to defund the tribe, regardless of the vote's outcome. Principal Chief Richard Sneed of the tribe has characterized this move by the Republican congressman as a significant political misstep. On the late evening of September 1st, Edwards introduced what he has named the "Stop Pot Act." This proposed bill would withhold 10% of federal… Read more.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is reiterating his commitment to advancing marijuana banking reform as the chamber comes back into session from the August recess. In a floor speech on Tuesday, Schumer discussed various legislative priorities for the coming weeks and months. That includes “making progress on cannabis” through the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, he said. However, he stressed that “we are under no illusion that we can make progress on the Senate floor unless we… Read more.

The governor of Colorado is applauding President Joe Biden after his administration’s top health agency recommended rescheduling marijuana—but he says the initial move must be followed with more action to address cannabis banking, immigration, criminal justice reform and federal enforcement concerns. That should include developing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance clarifying that it will not interfere in state-legal marijuana activities, he said. In a letter sent to Biden on Tuesday, Gov. Jared Polis (D) commended the U.S. Department of Health… Read more.

A key Senate committee chairman says that he’s spoken with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) about moving bipartisan marijuana banking legislation, which he hopes to advance along with several other priority bills “in the next six weeks.” Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) told Punchbowl News on Monday that the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act is one of the top bills on his fall legislative agenda. And while he didn’t comment on the substance of his conversation… Read more.

Now that the Department of Health and Human Services recommended moving cannabis to schedule 3, the industry is asking what impact a potential reclassification would have on the financial futures of U.S. cannabis companies. The removal of the tax burden from section 280E of the IRS tax code is expected to be one of the biggest changes. But how big would that effect be? Mike Regan, director of research at Excelsior Equities, recently spoke with Green Market Report to break down the math. “Consensus estimates expect about… Read more.

Congressional lawmakers might be encouraged by news that the top U.S. health agency is recommending marijuana rescheduling—but some like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) are also stressing that this is just a “step” in the right direction as they pursue legalization. Scores of legislators, including Republican members, have applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for advising the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act… Read more.

If the U.S. government moves marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substance Act (CSA)—as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has now formally recommended—the shift could have profound implications for all sorts of cannabis-related issues, ranging from research to business taxes to U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mailing rules. In the aftermath of the HHS announcement, some of the proposal’s would-be consequences are clearer than others. For instance, it’s evident that cannabis businesses could, for the first time, claim… Read more.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) doesn’t support legalizing marijuana or other currently illicit drugs, but he’s big mad over the prospect of the federal government advising Americans to drink less alcohol. During an interview with Newsmax on Wednesday, the senator said that federal officials “can kiss my ass” if they decide to reduce the recommended maximum consumption of alcohol to two drinks per week, as has recently been floated. “What is it with liberals and wanting to control every damn aspect… Read more.

The disclosure Wednesday that top Biden administration health officials this week officially recommended marijuana be reclassified from a Schedule 1 substance to Schedule 3 – the same category as Tylenol with codeine – was hailed as the biggest development in MJ policy reform in more than 50 years.  Marijuana investors concurred, boosting stocks of major U.S. cannabis companies approximately 20%. “It’s historic. It’s the biggest thing that’s happened in cannabis reform at the federal level, ever,” Shane Pennington, a partner at… Read more.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, has reaffirmed that he would not legalize marijuana if elected to the White House—arguing contrary to evidence that the reform has actually increased the size of the illicit market in Colorado. During a campaign event in Iowa on Saturday, an attendee told DeSantis that she knows people whose children developed “cannabis-induced psychosis” and asked about whether he would move to legalize or reschedule cannabis under federal law if he became… Read more.

As Ohio officials release pro and con arguments for a marijuana legalization initiative that will appear on the November ballot, a GOP congressman who represents the state is applauding the measure and explaining why he will personally be “voting yes.” In a statement shared with Marijuana Moment on Monday, Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, encouraged “all Ohio voters to participate and make their voices heard on this important issue” now that the legalization measure has… Read more.

A former top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official believes it’s most likely that marijuana will be put in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) following an ongoing administrative review ordered by President Biden last year. FDA is mindful of political factors such as the 2024 election, the official said, so a policy change may come sooner rather than later. Howard Sklamberg, who previously served as chair of FDA’s Marijuana Working Group from 2014 to 2017, spoke about the… Read more.

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Trump administration prepared to propose federal restrictions on kratom, a number of top officials intervened, criticizing the agency’s “bias” and stopping it “on the spot” from moving ahead with scheduling, a former White House drug czar said in a new interview. “They did not give—did not have—the entire facts. They didn’t have the science,” said Jim Carroll, who served as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, or… Read more.

Believe it or not, Ron DeSantis used to be one of the coolest Republicans when it came to weed. Unfortunately, spineless Ron DeSantis has capitulated and fallen in line with the majority of his fellow career-politician Republican prohibitionists. The facts show he is now squarely opposed to the super-majority of Americans (including a majority of Republican voters) who support legalization. This is yet another reason why he must not be elected president. To be fair, before I continue to trash him,… Read more.

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission last week approved a spending plan that, for the first time, includes funding from state cannabis taxes, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports. The cannabis tax contributions have buoyed the account to about $1.13 million; typically, the commission is funded by contributions by residents who check off the fund on their state income tax forms, which usually generates between $30,000 and $40,000. The state legalization law requires that 4% of cannabis-derived sales taxes are used for nongame wildlife programs. Montana collects… Read more.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy reiterated his support for federal marijuana legalization in an interview that aired on Sunday, saying the current state–federal conflict on cannabis is “a farce” that allows governments to unfairly target people. Appearing on the podcast Club Random with Bill Maher, who smoked a joint during the conversation, Ramaswamy said the gap between state and federal marijuana laws is “a joke” that “undermines the rule of law.” “I think we should align the federal law with… Read more.

During the company’s most recent earnings call, Cresco Labs (CSE: CL) (OTC: CRLBF) CEO Charles Bachtell strongly implied that he believes federal marijuana reform is still on the horizon, despite the lack of progress to date on bills such as the SAFE Banking Act. He’s also not worried about potential disruption or added regulations if marijuana is federally rescheduled. “I’ve spent a lot of time in D.C. this year,” Bachtell said. “There are a lot of constructive conversations happening, and the right… Read more.

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers are expressing “deep concern” over a recently updated U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) marijuana directive that continues to prohibit its doctors from making medical cannabis recommendations to veterans living in states where it’s legal. In a letter sent to VA Secretary Denis McDonough on Thursday, three co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus—Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Dave Joyce (R-OH)—said that VA “has once again denied the reality of medical marijuana as a key treatment option”… Read more.

The U.S. Census Bureau is updating its survey of American companies to better capture marijuana-related economic activity, part of an effort to “keep up with the nation’s ever-changing business landscape.” For the first time, the 2022 Economic Census—which is being conducted right now and asks businesses about their activities from last year—includes options for respondents to identify themselves as part of the cannabis economy. “While there are no specific questions about cannabis in the 2022 Economic Census,” the bureau said on its… Read more.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says he supports federally legalizing marijuana and allowing veterans with PTSD to use certain psychedelics—but his campaign is also attacking a recent Fox News article that suggested he supports decriminalizing “certain hard drugs” even though he recently said the broader reform would be an “important” part of broader strategy. “Vivek is in favor of federal legalization of marijuana” his campaign said on Monday in response to the news report. “The current state-level ‘legalization’ farce contributes… Read more.

A GOP congressman who has sponsored marijuana reform legislation is filing a new bill to target immigrants who’ve lied about illicit drug use on their visa applications—sending a political message amid conservative scrutiny of the UK’s Prince Harry, who has disclosed using psychedelics and cannabis before moving to the U.S. On Tuesday, Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) introduced the Substance and Possession Abuse Restrictions for Entrance (SPARE) Act, the name of which is a reference to the duke’s memoir—titled “Spare”—about his… Read more.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says it has no record of a letter from the White House regarding President Joe Biden’s marijuana scheduling review directive, seemingly contradicting what the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently testified to lawmakers. At a House Judiciary Committee hearing last month, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram told Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) that the president “had sent a letter to the secretary of HHS and to the attorney general to ask for… Read more.

The governor of Florida signed a little-noticed bill that took effect last month, expanding medical marijuana advertising and manufacturing restrictions to prohibit any products or messages that promote “recreational” cannabis use, while adding more stringent eligibility requirements for workers in the industry. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, approved the large-scale health legislation in May, making significant changes to the state’s existing medical cannabis law that could significantly impact the market, especially if an adult-use legalization measure makes… Read more.

An official with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says that ongoing marijuana prohibition makes the agency’s job “complicated” when it comes to ensuring the safety of workers in the cannabis industry. At a National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety & Health (NACOSH) meeting in late May, a New York marijuana regulator who was representing a trade union asked an OSHA official what, if anything, the agency is doing to incorporate people who are starting businesses in cannabis… Read more.

A recent report from Stat News indicates a decrease in federal lobbying efforts by cannabis industry operators. Notably, Curaleaf, a significant player in the industry, reduced its lobbying spending in Washington, D.C., by almost 40% during the first half of the year compared to its peak spending in 2019. Furthermore, both Columbia Care and Pax Labs took more drastic measures by eliminating their lobbying teams. In response to this trend, Aaron Smith, co-founder and CEO of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA),… Read more.

According to the DEA's administrator, the agency has not received a clear timeline from the Biden administration regarding the study of marijuana's federal status, as suggested during a congressional hearing. In response, Tennessee Democrat U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen stated his intention to speed the process. Last autumn, President Joe Biden initiated an "administrative review" to reevaluate marijuana's classification under the Controlled Substances Act. As part of this process, public health agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the… Read more.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has released an updated directive that reaffirms its doctors are prohibited from issuing medical cannabis recommendations to their military veterans patients. The new document also notes the revised federal definition of marijuana that went into effect with the legalization of hemp. The revised Veterans Health Administration (VHA) guidance is largely consistent with a previous version it released in 2017, which itself was updated to explicitly encourage VA doctors to discuss veterans’ marijuana use. That… Read more.

The U.S. Senate has approved a large-scale defense bill that includes provisions to bar intelligence agencies like the CIA and NSA from denying security clearances to applicants solely due to their past marijuana use. Senators adopted a number of amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Thursday before approving the overall legislation. That included attaching the full text of the separate Intelligence Authorization Act, which was itself previously amended in committee last month to include the cannabis provision from Sen.… Read more.

Legislation to prevent prior or current cannabis use from becoming grounds for failing to receive security clearance or for being found unsuitable for federal employment was introduced in the U.S. House on Tuesday.  The bill includes bipartisan support, sponsored by Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD).  The Cannabis Users Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act will also allow someone who has previously been denied a security clearance or a federal job opportunity based on cannabis use the chance to have that denial reviewed. … Read more.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to add an amendment to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to end the Veteran Administration’s (VA) prohibition on providers assisting military veterans in accessing state-legal medical cannabis.   The amendment, introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), passed unanimously by a voice vote. Blumenauer is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. Blumenauer was successful in getting a similar amendment on the 2016 version of the NDAA to pass the House and Senate in… Read more.

Bipartisan leaders of key House and Senate committees are soliciting information from experts about best practices for developing a regulatory framework for CBD. As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues face pressure to create rules so that the hemp-derived cannabinoid can be lawfully marketed as food items or dietary supplements, bipartisan lawmakers have put out a Request for Information (RFI) to gather relevant information from subject matter experts. The chairs and ranking members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor,… Read more.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a Republican 2024 presidential candidate, has appointed six new members to his state’s Drug Policy Advisory Council—and it includes an eclectic mix of stakeholders, like a sheriff who campaigned against a medical cannabis ballot initiative that voters approved and another sheriff who supports marijuana decriminalization. The panel also features yet another sheriff who went viral for warning heroin sellers while wearing a ski mask and a pastor who thinks his fellow Southern Baptists should “take a… Read more.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says that work continues to pass a bipartisan marijuana banking bill, and another Democratic senator is urging voters to keep up the pressure as lawmakers head back to their districts for the summer. But despite their optimism, a key committee chairman and the measure’s Republican top sponsor are still stuck in an intractable blame game. Action on the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act is on hold for at least a month as… Read more.

A first-of-its-kind congressional committee hearing took place on Thursday, with lawmakers examining the impacts of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inaction on developing regulations to allow for the sale of hemp-derived CBD as food items or dietary supplements. The House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services announced the scheduling of the hearing—titled “Hemp in the Modern World: The Years long Wait for FDA Action”—last week. “FDA announced earlier this year that it’s needs a new regulatory framework… Read more.

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved amendments to a large-scale spending bill that would allow U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors to recommend medical cannabis to military veterans and promote research into substances like psilocybin and MDMA. Just one day after the House Rules Committee made the measures in order for floor consideration, they passed on the floor on Wednesday and are advancing as part of appropriations legislation covering Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MilCon/VA). The medical… Read more.

Two Black farmers in Florida have been awarded medical marijuana business licenses under a bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law last month. The state’s legalization law that was implemented in 2017 stipulated that one medical cannabis business license needed to go to a Black farmer who is covered by the historic “Pigford” class action litigation against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) alleging discriminatory lending practices. But it was only last year that the Florida Department of Health… Read more.

Don't say you haven't heard this song before, in fact, over and over, but as Marijuana Moment first reported, the bipartisan efforts to introduce marijuana and psychedelics amendments into a major defense bill faced disappointment as they failed to progress to the floor. Lawmakers from both political spectrums proposed these amendments to be included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Despite numerous drug policy amendments being offered, the House Rules Committee, led by Republicans, opted against allowing any of them to advance to… Read more.

When the top Wisconsin Democratic senator met with key Biden administration officials at the White House on Thursday, she took the opportunity to discuss marijuana reform issues such as the ongoing review of its federal scheduling status and efforts to repair the harms of cannabis criminalization. Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) and other members of the chamber’s Democratic caucus convened in Washington, D.C. to talk about their legislative priorities and hear from the officials about ways the Biden administration’s… Read more.

A congressional committee has scheduled a hearing for next week focused on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) refusal to enact regulations to allow for the marketing of hemp-derived CBD products. And bipartisan and bicameral lawmakers have separately reintroduced a bill to fill the regulatory gap. The House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services scheduled the hearing—titled “Hemp in the Modern World: The Years long Wait for FDA Action”—for July 27. Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) said… Read more.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms may be to blame for US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's cringeworthy bows to China's vice premier after she ordered four portions at dinner three nights before their meeting, sources claim. Jian shou qing mushrooms, which have psychedelic properties if they are not cooked thoroughly, formed part of a traditional dish Yellen polished off at Beijing restaurant Yi Zuo Yi Wang on July 6. The usually stately politician, 76, then came under fire from Republican opponents for bowing to her Chinese counterpart, He Lifeng, three days later… Read more.

The administration of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has no plans to allow adult-use cannabis sales to commence in the state while he is in office, the Daily Progress reports. Adult-use cannabis sales were expected to begin in 2024 under a law passed by the legislature and signed by former Gov. Ralph Northam (D) in 2021; however, during a Virginia Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council meeting last week, Joseph Guthrie, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said the… Read more.

Officials from the Florida legislature and the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) estimate that a marijuana legalization initiative that may appear on the 2024 ballot would generate between $195.6 million and $431.3 million in new sales tax revenue annually if voters enact it. And those figures could increase considerably if lawmakers opted to impose an additional excise tax on cannabis transactions that’s similar to the ones in place in other legalized states. On  Thursday, the state Financial Impact Estimating… Read more.

A GOP congresswoman is touting recently released Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance on psychedelics research and calling for additional work to study the therapeutic benefits of marijuana for military veterans. In a speech on the House floor on Wednesday, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) talked about the need to support “novel forms of research” to unlock the potential of psychedelics and cannabis for the treatment of conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that commonly afflict veterans. “As a doctor, former director of… Read more.

Conservative media, as well as certain Republican lawmakers, have a new White House drug fixation after it was disclosed by the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) that agents discovered small amounts of marijuana in the West Wing twice last year, in addition to the cocaine that they more recently found. Ever since cocaine was identified in the West Wing, which was disclosed to lawmakers during a closed briefing earlier this month, the news cycle has been filled with routine updates on… Read more.

House and Senate appropriators have approved large-scale annual spending bills that once again include language to protect state medical cannabis programs, as well as a controversial rider to block Washington, D.C. from implementing a system of regulated marijuana sales. The Senate and House Appropriations Committee both held markups of Fiscal Year 2024 spending legislation for Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) on Thursday. And the Senate panel, as well as a House subcommittee, have also advanced their appropriations measures for… Read more.

Is it the White House or the Trap House? The Secret Service discovered small amounts of marijuana at the executive mansion last year in addition to the cocaine found in the West Wing earlier this month, a spokesman confirmed to The Post Thursday. “Per the Secret Service Uniformed Division, small amounts of marijuana were found on two occasions in 2022 (June and September), at a check point,” the rep said in a statement. “No one was arrested in these incidents because the… Read more.

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers are celebrating the inclusion of a psychedelics research amendment as part of a must-pass defense bill that’s on the House floor—and a GOP congressman says he has the commitment of the House speaker to fight to broaden the scope of the measure in talks with the Senate. At a press conference that took place shortly after the House Rules Committee advanced the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with the psychedelics language that were previously attached in the… Read more.

First reported by Marijuana Moment, a Republican senator has voiced skepticism regarding Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's ambitious plan to address marijuana banking and other legislative priorities during the summer session. Senator John Cornyn believes that Schumer's proposed timeline is unrealistic, deeming it wishful thinking to expect the successful completion of all the necessary items within the limited timeframe. As the debate over cannabis banking reform intensifies, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act passage remains uncertain. Speaking on the Senate floor, Senator… Read more.

Bipartisan lawmakers pushed for the adoption of marijuana and psychedelics amendments as part of a large-scale defense bill at a House committee meeting on Tuesday—but the proposals’ fate remains uncertain following complications over unrelated measures being pushed by conservative members. The House Rules Committee did clear 290 largely non-controversial amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for floor votes as the leadership negotiates with House Freedom Caucus members who are demanding adoption of contentious measures on issues like abortion,… Read more.

A top North Carolina lawmaker says that he’s “very sure” that a Senate-passed medical marijuana legalization bill will not advance in the House this session—even amid strong-arm tactics launched by the other chamber to force the issue—though he said legislators would likely return to it during next year’s short session. House Majority Leader John Bell (R) said in an interview with Spectrum News on Monday that there’s “still discussions going on” about the cannabis measure, but Republican lawmakers “unfortunately did… Read more.

Passing a marijuana banking bill is a priority during the upcoming summer work session in the Senate, but it “will not be easy” and needs GOP support to advance, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a letter to colleagues that notably omitted his typical call for attaching criminal justice provisions like expungements. The letter that Schumer released on Sunday says that lawmakers will first focus on advancing must-pass appropriations and defense legislation. But he said that Democrats “will also… Read more.

A newly established super PAC called "Legalize America" has been launched by a coalition of marijuana businesses and advocacy groups. The primary objective of this super PAC is to elevate the prominence of cannabis as a national issue in the upcoming 2024 election and beyond. Legalize America plans to collaborate with industry partners to encourage customers to make "round-up" donations at the point of sale when purchasing products from dispensaries. The Legalize America super PAC's formation involves their organization and its… Read more.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) says that while he believes the justice system has effectively handled prosecution against President Joe Biden’s son, there’s still a double-standard in the country that has allowed presidents and members of Congress to admit to past marijuana use with impunity while subjecting thousands of less privileged people to punitive cannabis laws. In an interview with CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” that was released late last month, the senator was asked whether he believes that there’s… Read more.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, formally announcing his candidacy on June 7, 2023. The governor has approved several marijuana policy reforms at the state level, though he’s stopped short of embracing adult-use legalization and opposed ballot initiatives to enact such a system in his state. Among the bills that Burgum has signed during his tenure are ones to decriminalize simple possession, increase allowable THC limits for medical cannabis and allow people… Read more.

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers are applauding the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for releasing first-ever draft guidance on psychedelics research—a development that they had requested through a new bill just days before the agency took the step. Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) filed the legislation this month. And while FDA didn’t say that its decision to release the guidance was directly responsive to the measure, it’s precisely the action that the first part of the bill… Read more.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a contender for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, intends to legalize marijuana and psychedelics should he win the presidency. Additionally, he proposes implementing taxes on these substances, with the generated revenue being utilized to establish "healing centers." These centers would serve as places where individuals recovering from drug addiction can engage in organic farming as a therapeutic approach. Kennedy also advocates for enabling greater access to banking services for the cannabis industry. While the candidate's stance on drug policy reform… Read more.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, says that he would legalize marijuana and psychedelics if elected to the White House—and he’d tax both substances, using revenue to create “healing centers” where people recovering from drug addiction could learn organic farming as a therapeutic tool. He also voiced support for freeing up banking services for the cannabis industry. The candidate’s position on drug policy reform had been vague around the time he entered the race—but it’s quickly come… Read more.

The president of Ukraine is calling for the legalization of medical marijuana to help Ukrainians cope with trauma amid the ongoing war with Russia. In an address to the Ukrainian Parliament on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “all the world’s best practices, all the most effective policies, all the solutions, no matter how difficult or unusual they may seem to us, must be applied in Ukraine so that Ukrainians, all our citizens, do not have to endure the pain,… Read more.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is highlighting marijuana banking reform is one of several key legislative priorities that he intends to push through using bipartisan cooperation when the Senate reconvenes next month. The Republican sponsor of the cannabis bill, meanwhile, says this is the “best” time to get the job done—but cautioned that passage could be jeopardized if Democrats move to significantly expand the scope of the legislation. In the first half of this year, the majority leader was… Read more.

The attorney general of Florida has submitted a brief to the state Supreme Court detailing the reasons she is seeking to keep a marijuana legalization initiative off the 2024 ballot. The Florida Chamber of Commerce and an anti-drug organization also filed briefs opposing the measure, which is being almost entirely funded by the multi-state cannabis company Trulieve. After being granted a two-week extension by the court, Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) filed the initial brief on Monday’s deadline. As expected,… Read more.

A newly formed coalition of marijuana businesses and advocacy organizations is making the case that the Biden administration really only has two viable choices when it comes to its ongoing federal scheduling review: remove cannabis from the list of banned substances altogether or reschedule it—the less ideal option of the two, but one that the group says would still come with significant benefits. The Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform (CCSR), which launched earlier this month, published a report on Monday that… Read more.

Federally legalizing marijuana is both doable for the Biden administration and relatively easy, according to a new white paper that makes the case for reform. The paper, released Monday by the Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform, prioritizes “de-scheduling” – or removing marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances altogether – but also acknowledges that “rescheduling” marijuana to Schedule 3 or lower would be “a historic step along the path to necessary reform.” The white paper was issued in the midst… Read more.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, said he would not federally decriminalize marijuana if elected to the White House—arguing that cannabis use hurts the workforce, inhibits productivity and could even lead to death if contaminated. At a campaign event in South Carolina on Thursday, a person who said they were representing wounded veterans asked DeSantis if he would “please” decriminalize cannabis as president. The governor responded directly: “I don’t think we would do that.” He then talked… Read more.

A Democratic congressman says that it’s time for Congress to give the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) a mandate to study the benefits and risks of marijuana for military veterans. At a Member Day hearing before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Thursday, Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) urged the panel to advance his bipartisan bill, the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act. Back when he was serving in the California legislature, Correa said veterans started approaching him—”slowly, gradually but firmly”—and describing… Read more.

The issue of marijuana banking has been a longstanding concern within the cannabis industry. Despite previous bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, the SAFE Banking Act has faced challenges reaching the president's desk. However, there is optimism that the current situation may differ. Are you going to fall for the "banana in the tailpipe", again as far as SAFE Banking is about to pass? Cannabis.net has always stood by the statement that, "Weed will be federally legally, when Mitch McConnell say… Read more.

Former President Donald Trump seemed confused during a recent interview when he was confronted with the fact that his proposed plan to impose the death penalty on drug traffickers would have condemned a woman he pardoned and promoted as an example of a key criminal justice reform achievement during his administration. Speaking with Fox News host Bret Baier, Trump first defended his extreme position that drug traffickers should be quickly convicted and executed, touting countries like China and Singapore for… Read more.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), a Republican 2024 presidential candidate, says that he would “end” the war on drugs if elected, emphasizing the need for a treatment-based approach to people experiencing addiction—while at the same time maintaining that he’d seek to increase enforcement against those who sell drugs. During a recent town hall event hosted by CNN, a mother who said her son is in jail after struggles with fentanyl asked Christie what he would “do about the war… Read more.

Since California legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes in 1996, there has existed a growing chasm between state-level marijuana policies and federal law. Today, the majority of states and the District of Columbia authorize the state-licensed production and sale of cannabis to qualifying patients. Twenty-three of these states also regulate the possession and use of marijuana by adults. Nonetheless, under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970, the cannabis plant is classified as a prohibited controlled substance. The CSA exists to… Read more.

President Joe Biden marked the holiday Juneteenth by issuing a proclamation that promotes his mass marijuana pardon and scheduling review directive. As the country commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black people, the president’s proclamation touts various efforts by his administration to address racial discrimination, including last year’s cannabis clemency move. “I have taken action on marijuana reform by pardoning prior District of Columbia and Federal simple marijuana possession offenses and directed a review of marijuana scheduling,” Biden said on the federal holiday,… Read more.

New Hampshire Representative Dan Hynes recently took to Facebook to make a significant announcement - he has officially changed his party affiliation from Republican to Independent. He expressed his reasoning behind this decision, citing his belief that the Republican party no longer upholds crucial values such as defending the Constitution and ensuring individual freedom. Representative Hynes elaborated on three specific examples that influenced his choice in his Facebook post. Firstly, he expressed his disappointment that legislators failed to safeguard both… Read more.

More than a dozen congressional Democrats have filed a resolution to recognize the country’s “moral obligation to meet its foundational promise of guaranteed justice for all,” in part by legalizing marijuana and overdose prevention sites as well as expunging drug-related records. The legislation, led by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), proposes a number of reforms to address systemic issues like mass incarceration, racial discrimination, addiction and homelessness. Cannabis isn’t the focus of the measure, but it’s included in a section calling… Read more.

Minnesota's upcoming recreational marijuana law permits residents to smoke weed and grants them the highest possession limit nationwide. In a celebratory event, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz enthusiastically signed the bill officially legalizing recreational marijuana for adults aged 21 and above. Governor Walz expressed his gratitude, acknowledging the extensive efforts of many individuals involved in this significant milestone. Why can Minnesotans soon have up to 2 pounds of marijuana? Jesse Ventura, the former governor of Minnesota (1999-2003), was among the early… Read more.

The head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is aiming to present President Joe Biden with a federal cannabis scheduling decision “this year” as agencies work “as quickly as we can” to complete an administrative review, Secretary Xavier Becerra told Marijuana Moment during a press briefing in Sacramento on Thursday. While Becerra and other federal officials have previously emphasized that they are working “expeditiously” to carry out the cannabis review, which the president directed late last year, there’s… Read more.

A New Hampshire House lawmaker says that he’s defecting from the Republican party to become in an independent—in part because of his frustration over the Senate’s repeated refusal to approve marijuana legalization. Rep. Dan Hynes said on Tuesday that he is leaving the GOP because he feels the party has lost touch with its founding principles, including promoting “individual freedom.” Among his specific contentions is that “Republicans in the senate almost unanimously voted against legalizing marijuana for adults” this session,… Read more.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) are calling for marijuana reform that prioritizes communities most impacted by the drug war and prevents monopolization by large corporations like Amazon and big tobacco firms. At an event focused on creating an equitable cannabis industry on Saturday, the senators thanked activists for holding the line for small and minority marijuana businesses, and they pledged to promote legislation that aligns with that goal. “We know that legalization alone is not enough,” Warren… Read more.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said this week that she will not use her office’s executive powers to legalize medical marijuana or to decriminalize cannabis possession. A vocal advocate of marijuana reform who nonetheless says she opposes adult-use legalization, Kelly has said she would sign a medical-cannabis legalization bill if state lawmakers pass one. Despite that executive pressure, a state Senate committee in March blocked a medical cannabis legalization bill for the year. As the Topeka Capital-Journal reported, Kelly will not follow the lead of other Democratic governors in… Read more.

Attorneys for President Joe Biden’s son reportedly told Justice Department officials that a recent federal court ruling on gun rights for people who use marijuana should invalidate any charges related to allegations that he lied about his drug use on a federal firearms purchase form. As federal prosecutors investigate the 2018 handgun purchase, which took place at a time when Hunter Biden disclosed that he was a regular user of crack cocaine, his attorneys are challenging the idea that he… Read more.

California officials have awarded more than $50 million in marijuana tax-funded community reinvestment grants, the state announced on Thursday. The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) said that the funds are being distributed to 31 different local health departments and community-based nonprofit organizations that support economic and social development in areas disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. This marks the fifth year in a row that the office has provided the grant funding. And the cannabis tax… Read more.

The Republican governor of New Hampshire announced signing an alternative proposal for marijuana legalization through a state-operated store system. This development hit the news barely a day after the New Hampshire Senate rejected a bill for the same purpose. The outcome remains uncertain as the fate of the proposed legislation is currently undecided. In the previous session, the House had passed a bill to establish a state-regulated market under the supervision of the state Liquor Commission. However, the Senate rejected this… Read more.

A coalition of marijuana advocacy groups is asking that a bipartisan marijuana banking bill be expanded to include provisions ensuring that cannabis businesses have access to all forms of financial services—including the ability to be listed on senior U.S. stock exchanges. In a letter sent to Senate Banking Committee leadership on Thursday, the coalition SAFE Banking for Equity said that it appreciates that the panel is “treating this issue with the urgency it demands” by holding a hearing focused on cannabis… Read more.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Florida this week, arguing that the Adult Personal Use of Marijuana ballot initiative is unconstitutional. Text of the proposed constitutional amendment must be approved by the state Supreme Court. As of last month, Florida cannabis advocates had collected more than 600,000 valid signatures in support of the constitutional amendment to legalize adult-use marijuana. In an advisory opinion filed Monday, Moody said the measure, which would put recreational marijuana before… Read more.

The New Hampshire Senate has voted to create a study commission to examine potential models to legalize marijuana as the as the governor predicts that his plan to create a state-run cannabis market will likely be considered by lawmakers “next year.” Meanwhile, senators moved to set aside another House-passed marijuana legalization bill—though representatives are now discussing pursuing compromise legislation next week that would provide for a combination of state-operated and privately licensed cannabis shops while also allowing current medical cannabis… Read more.

The Minnesota legislature has approved large-scale legislation that contains provisions to legalize drug paraphernalia possession, syringe services, residue and testing—a win for harm reduction advocates in the state. As part of a criminal justice and public safety omnibus bill, bicameral lawmakers agreed to a final conference report last week that includes the drug policy reform measures. The Senate passed the report on Friday and the House approved it on Monday in a 69-63 vote, sending it to the governor’s desk.… Read more.

The New Mexico Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments about whether roadside impairment testing for alcohol can be used to check for cannabis impairment, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. The defendant, Nina Luna, was convicted of driving under the influence and speeding in 2018 after a state police officer pulled her over in Albuquerque and determined she was driving while impaired by cannabis.  Following the traffic stop, the officer described in his report that Luna’s eyes were red and watery and she had… Read more.

Thailand's health minister and cannabis advocate Anutin Charnvirakul turned heads during Sunday's election as he arrived to cast his vote at a polling station wearing a dark shirt with bright green marijuana leaves. The 56-year-old is the prime ministerial candidate for the Bhumjaithai Party, which has campaigned on a promise to promote medical marijuana after successfully pushing for the substance to be decriminalised last year. Without associated regulations in place, recreational use surged, angering the Southeast Asian country's conservatives. Anutin has promised that if re-elected,… Read more.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says a committee vote on a marijuana banking bill will be scheduled “in the near future” following an initial hearing on Thursday—and he is reiterating plans to attach criminal justice reform provisions to the financial services measure. In a speech on the floor on Thursday evening, Schumer said that the Senate Banking Committee meeting represented a “big step” for the bipartisan Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which was refiled by Sens. Jeff Merkley… Read more.

A congresswoman is asking for marijuana plants to be displayed at the U.S. Botanic Garden near the Capitol in Washington, D.C. in recognition of state and federal efforts to legalize cannabis. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) wrote a letter to the executive director of the living plant museum, which is run by Congress and located near the U.S. Capitol Building, on Wednesday, requesting that both male and female marijuana plants be added to the national garden. Norton expressed appreciation that… Read more.

Cannabis stocks have scored a boost from optimism around Thursday’s hearing on a bill that would protect banks that work with the industry, but some analysts are downbeat on the SAFE Banking Act’s chances of becoming law. “We believe the cannabis banking effort faces an uphill climb in this Congress, but there will be mile markers on the road ahead that could make us more optimistic,” said BTIG’s Isaac Boltansky and Isabel Bandoroff in a note. “Before lining up for… Read more.

A New Hampshire Senate committee has rejected two House-passed bills to legalize marijuana—as well as a measure to allow medical cannabis patients to grow their own plants—though they will still move to the floor despite the procedural defeat. The House Republican sponsor of the legalization legislation, meanwhile, has signaled that he’s prepared to hold up unrelated Senate measures if the opposite chamber fails to enact the reform. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted against the legalization and regulation measure from House Majority… Read more.

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have filed a bill to mandate the automatic sealing of criminal records for certain non-violent federal marijuana convictions. Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) reintroduced the Clean Slate Act last week. The measure would also provide relief to people who have been arrested for other offenses that did not result in a conviction. The legislation has been filed over the last several sessions, and the previous version advanced through the House Judiciary Committee last year. It… Read more.

In a letter to lawmakers, the Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon asked that a bill currently being considered by the House be amended to prevent La Mota – the cannabis company that had hired former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan as a consultant – from continuing its expansion in the state, according to a Willamette Week report outlining the letter. In the letter, the organization said that “Companies that display a flagrant disregard for state laws and fair business practices have no… Read more.

A key Senate committee chairman said on Thursday that a hearing on a bipartisan marijuana banking bill could be scheduled as early as next week, adding that lawmakers are going to “move quickly on it.” Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) told NBC News reporters that his panel could hold a hearing on the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act as soon as next Thursday, May 11. While a hearing hasn’t been formally scheduled yet, the comments come as senators… Read more.

Days after the Texas House of Representatives passed a marijuana decriminalization bill that is now pending in the Senate, voters in two cities in the state will head to the polls on Saturday to decide on two related local ballot measures. San Antonio voters will consider a broad justice-reform initiative that includes provisions to decriminalize cannabis, and  Harker Heights residents will have the chance to overturn their local government’s repeal of an earlier decriminalization measure they passed. The San Antonio proposal asks… Read more.

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has reintroduced legislation to give legal cannabis companies improved access to banking services routinely used by other businesses across the nation. The bill, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act of 2023, was refiled in the Senate late last month by Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican from Montana. Republican Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio and Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer filed a companion bill in the… Read more.

Following the Senate’s rejection of a bill last week to require the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study of veterans who use medical cannabis, Sen. John Tester (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, told Military.com that the measure, and other veteran-focused bills, “may all be dead.”   In a procedural vote last Wednesday, the Senate voted 57-42 to advance the cannabis bill, three votes short of the 60 required to pass.  The bill, which included provisions related to the… Read more.

Wisconsin Republican lawmakers have removed proposals to legalize marijuana for recreational and medical use from the governor’s executive budget for the 2023-2025 biennial. At a hearing of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday, members voted 12-4 to eliminate numerous provisions of Gov. Tony Evers’s (D) budget request, including measures on legalizing, taxing and regulating cannabis in the state. The move was expected, as the GOP-controlled legislature has previously stripped marijuana reform language from past executive budgets, and top Republican lawmakers warned that any… Read more.

By Reggie Babin, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP With the recent reintroduction of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, Congress is once again engaged in an effort to achieve a meaningful breakthrough on federal cannabis reform. Understandably, many have serious doubts as to whether this time will be any different than previous iterations while others are likely convinced that it won’t be. After spending the past six years working to advance this issue in Congress as the… Read more.

Donald Trump told Newsmax’s “Greg Kelly Reports” in a recent interview that marijuana does “significant damage” although he recognized that legalizing cannabis is a “pretty popular thing” among voters. Greg Kelly, who seemed slightly irked about the aroma of cannabis in the N.Y. subway system, pushed Trump on whether he thought cannabis legalization could ultimately be detrimental to the country’s competitiveness and psyche. “I mean, you see the same studies. It’s not helping people. I mean, studies are saying that it does damage. It does… Read more.

A proposed cannabis “strategy table” appears to be stuck in bureaucratic and political gridlock in Canada’s capital, more than a year after it was first announced. In April 2022, the planned strategy table was unveiled in the country’s federal budget to provide a forum for government officials and cannabis industry executives to come together to discuss steps that could bolster the legal industry – this at a time when many companies were struggling financially. The lack of open communication channels between the… Read more.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation that would free up banking services for the cannabis industry. NBC News Congressional Correspondent Julie Tsirkin travels to Montana to talk to cannabis business owners about some of the challenges they face.  (Full Story) Read more.

Initially, only psilocybin and psilocyn would be allowed at therapeutic centers. The Colorado Senate approved a bill to regulate psychedelic substances, in line with a voter-endorsed initiative. The legislation aims to establish guidelines for legal psychedelic use in authorized therapeutic centers under trained professionals’ supervision. Additionally, the bill sets licensing standards for facilitators and businesses involved in producing, testing, storing, distributing, and transporting natural medicine products. The measure passed during a voice vote after amendments in its second reading on Monday. The bill passed… Read more.

U.S. Rep Brian Mast (R-FL) last week introduced a bill to end the prohibition of firearm sales to cannabis consumers in states that allow adult- and medical-use cannabis. Currently, federal law restricts the sale of guns or ammunition to anyone who is an “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance,” which includes cannabis. The Gun Rights and Marijuana (GRAM) Act creates a carve-out for cannabis for individuals who live in states or on tribal lands where cannabis use is legal.… Read more.

State lawmakers have until July to pass a new drug possession statute in response to a 2021 Supreme Court decision that invalidated the old law. Since the Legislature failed to pass a compromise bill on Sunday night before the 2023 regular session ended, a special session likely will be called to finish this work. Senate Bill 5536, one of the last bills debated in the 105-day legislative session, failed 43-55 in the Democratic-controlled House. Several Democratic lawmakers voted against the… Read more.

Donald the Delusional and his views on Genetically Engineered Cannabis Donald Trump, aka "The Donald," is the epitome of bizarreness in American politics. He's the guy who singlehandedly flipped the switch on the level of crazy, forever unveiling the absurdity of the system. He's activated some sort of a "backdoor program" in the minds of millions, convincing them that he's some sort of hero or savior against an evil government. Don't get me wrong, the government is fucking evil, but… Read more.

A Republican congressman filed a bill on Thursday’s 4/20 cannabis holiday to protect the Second Amendment rights of people who use marijuana in legal states, allowing them to purchase and possess firearms that they’re currently prohibited from having under federal law. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, reintroduced the Gun Rights and Marijuana (GRAM) Act on Thursday—one of the latest in a series of cannabis proposals to be filed in the run-up to the 4/20 holiday.… Read more.

A Republican congressional committee chairman is demanding that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) turn over documents relating to the agency’s decision not to regulate CBD products. Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf on Monday, announcing an investigation into the agency’s decision and criticizing the “insufficient rationale for inaction” on CBD regulations. FDA said in January that, after years of review since hemp and its derivatives… Read more.

Former President Donald Trump is suggesting there may be a link between the use of “genetically engineered” marijuana and mass shootings. At a speech at a National Rifle Association (NRA) leadership forum on Friday, Trump listed a number of controversial and unproven factors that he said he’d direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate as possibly causing the ongoing scourge of mass shooting afflicting the country. “We have to look at whether common psychiatric drugs, as well as… Read more.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) says it’s been “frustrating” to see marijuana legalization fall short of equity goals, which he said is partly due to ongoing federal prohibition. And while he’s pushing for reform, he characterized cannabis as a “dangerous” drug that hasn’t been studied enough. The senator, who has long advocated for equity-centered federal legalization and sponsored a bill to that end with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) last year, discussed the prospects of drug policy reform at a… Read more.

The top House Democrat and a Republican lawmaker have refiled a bill to lay the groundwork for federal marijuana legalization. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) introduced the Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult-Use Regulated Environment Act (PREPARE) Act on Thursday. The incremental reform would direct the attorney general to create a commission charged with making recommendations on a regulatory system for cannabis that models what’s currently in place for alcohol. “With nearly every… Read more.

Cannabis advocates will hold a policy forum in the Capitol Visitors Center of the  Congressional Auditorium symbolically scheduled for April 20 - the unofficial marijuana holiday. The summit will bring together activists and leaders from government, business, healthcare, veterans groups and civil rights organizations to review and analyze the most important cannabis policy challenges and opportunities reported Marijuana Moment. “The Summit is Washington, D.C.’s premier celebration of cannabis advocacy and a call to action for American leadership in defense of state’s rights and the will of the voters,… Read more.

Marijuana reform advocates announced on Wednesday that they’ll be holding a policy forum inside the U.S. Capitol Building on the unofficial cannabis holiday 4/20 that will feature speakers including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The National Cannabis Policy Summit’s Congressional Forum, hosted in the Capitol Visitors Center’s Congressional Auditorium, will bring together advocates, experts, lawmakers, stakeholders and patients for a discussion on the need for federal reform with a focus on promoting equity. While pro-legalization festivals and forums have… Read more.

A Hawaii Senate committee approved a House-passed bill on Wednesday that would create an advisory council to look into possible regulations to provide access to federal “breakthrough therapies” like psilocybin and MDMA. The psychedelics legislation from Rep. Adrian Tam (D) advanced, with amendments, in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee in a 5-0 vote. Members took testimony from advocates and experts, including a representative of the Department of Health, which voiced support for the proposal. All 20 people and organizations that… Read more.

A Hawaii Senate-passed bill to legalize marijuana has stalled out in the House for the year—but advocates are shifting focus to 2024, hoping to enact the reform in the second half of the two-year legislative session. The legislation from Sen. Joy San Buenaventura (D) cleared the Senate earlier this month, and hopes were high that it’d make it through the House as well. But a hearing wasn’t scheduled before a deadline for bills that have been referred to three or more… Read more.

The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday passed a measure that would allow the director of the state Medical Marijuana Authority to shut down cannabis operations that are damaging the environment, KOKH reports. Sen. Joe Newhouse (R) authored the legislation and argued that it would help reign in medical cannabis operations in the state that are not following state law.  Oklahoma has one of the nation’s most permissive medical cannabis programs, but it has been rife with controversy. Last year, two Oklahoma attorneys were charged in a “Ghost Owner”… Read more.

A newly-formed political action committee aims to back candidates for office that back the use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes, NBC News reports. The Psychedelic Medicine PAC also aims to secure federal funding to further education and research efforts for psychedelics but stops short of calling for full legalization or decriminalization of the substances. In an interview with NBC News, Ryan Rodgers, co-founder and executive director of Psychedelic Medicine PAC, said the group has “to convince a historically stubborn audience around psychedelics that it’s… Read more.

Another Minnesota House committee has approved a bill to legalize marijuana, after members adopted a large-scale amendment to overhaul various provisions of the legislation. The House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee passed the measure in a voice vote on Monday. The panel, chaired by bill sponsor Rep. Zack Stephenson (D), first took up the legislation in January, but it was always the plan to have the proposal returned to the committee. Like a recently adopted change to a companion bill… Read more.

A bill to legalize medical marijuana stalled in the Kansas legislature on Thursday—but now the governor is urging the public to contact their representatives to demand they take the legislation back up for action “this session.” Gov. Laura Kelly (D), who has long championed cannabis reform, said on Thursday that she’s “disappointed that some legislators are saying they don’t want to move forward with legalizing medical marijuana this year—effectively turning their backs on our veterans and those with chronic pain and seizure… Read more.

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have refiled a pair of bills meant to provide a pathway for the regulation of hemp derivatives like CBD as dietary supplements and food and beverage additives. The two measures that were filed on Friday—the Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act and the CBD Product Safety and Standardization Act—are being sponsored by Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Angie Craig (D-MN). Earlier versions of the bills were filed last Congress and ultimately did not advance,… Read more.

A second Delaware Senate committee approved a House-passed bill on Thursday to create a regulated adult-use marijuana market, sending it to the floor where a complementary measure to legalize possession is also set for action. The proposals are being sponsored by Rep. Ed Osienski (D), and they both advanced through a separate Senate committee on Wednesday after being approved in the full House. Now the Senate Finance Committee has also cleared the regulations-focused bill, which needed a second stop because… Read more.

Kansas senators have shelved a bill to legalize medical marijuana following a hearing that featured multiple opponents, including state law enforcement representatives. Members of the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee voted on Thursday to table the legislation, which the panel itself is sponsoring. Following the action, Chairman Mike Thompson (R) said that lawmakers have “bigger fish to fry,” indicating that he’s not interested in taking the proposal back up before the end of the 2023 session. Officials with the Kansas Sheriffs… Read more.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives has approved another bill to legalize marijuana in the state—except this one contains no regulations or limitations on cannabis. About a month after the House passed a comprehensive legalization, taxation and regulation measure that’s being sponsored by bipartisan leaders, members on Thursday took up the simpler legislation to remove marijuana from the state’s listed of banned substances. The chamber first voted, 210-160, to overrule the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, which had deemed the… Read more.

The Texas House Public Health Committee on Monday heard hearings on a bill that would expand the state’s medical cannabis program, FOX 44 reports. The measure would allow access to products with THC levels as high as 5%. Under current law, patients can only access low-THC products with THC concentrations up to 1%.  The measure is, in part, meant to reign in the proliferation of hemp-derived THC products, such as delta-8, which some medical cannabis consumers are relying on because of the low THC limits in… Read more.

House and Senate committees in Minnesota on Tuesday each altered adult-use cannabis legalization bills being considered by lawmakers, with the House Transportation Finance Committee tacking on an amendment to reduce the amount of cannabis individuals can keep in their homes from 5 pounds to 1.5 pounds, ABC 6 News reports.  The Senate State and Local Government committee adopted a 142-page amendment to create distinctions between the industrial hemp industry and the adult-use cannabis industry.   Ted Galaty, a hemp farmer and owner of Willow’s Keep Farm, told… Read more.

A bipartisan bill introduced in the House last week would allow individuals with drug convictions to obtain a hemp license. The 2018 Farm Bill, which expanded the federal government’s hemp legalization policies, prohibits people with a felony drug conviction within the past 10 years from cultivating hemp. The measure, dubbed the Free to Grow Act, is backed by Republican Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.) and David Joyce (OH), along with Democratic Reps. David Trone (MD) and Senior House Agriculture Committee Member Chellie Pingree… Read more.

Discreet prescription refills via telehealth visits are already the norm for medications like hair loss and erectile dysfunction medication for men, which is easier to do when it’s not in-person. The same methods could be used to be discreet and quietly get prescriptions for medical cannabis under a new Florida bill. House Bill 387 is sponsored by Spencer Roach (R-North Fort Myers) and would allow practitioners to certify patients for medical cannabis via FaceTime, Skype, etc. visits rather than in-person visits.… Read more.

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have refiled a bill to combat illicit marijuana grows on federal lands, framing it as a way that the federal government can help protect cannabis consumers’ health from banned pesticides that are often used in unregulated cultivation. While the idea of yet another stepped up federal effort to crack down on illegal cannabis production might seem like an extension of prohibitionist enforcement at a surface level, Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) said on Thursday that the primary intent of… Read more.

After witnessing a blowout loss in Oklahoma on Tuesday, advocates of adult-use marijuana legalization are turning their attention to brighter prospects in Hawaii and Delaware. Legalization bills are marching through legislatures in both states, with support from the governor in Hawaii and a veto-proof legislative majority in Delaware, where lawmakers in the state House on Thursday advanced an adult-use legalization bill for the first time. However, observers cautioned final passage isn’t assured in either state. The two relatively small states… Read more.

The Maryland House of Delegates has advanced an amended bill to create regulations allowing for adult-use marijuana commerce following voter approval of legalization last year. The legislation, sponsored by Del. C.T. Wilson (D), passed on a second reading on the floor on Wednesday, just days after clearing committee. The House will need to give final third reading approval to the measure before it potentially moves to the Senate, where a companion version is scheduled for consideration in committee on Thursday. The House… Read more.

Oklahoma voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to allow adults 21 and over to buy and consume cannabis. If the measure passes, the state will become the 22nd in the U.S. to legalize pot for adult use. The vote on State Question 820 is taking place on an executive order from Gov. Kevin Stitt. With just over 4 million people and 2.2 million registered voters, Oklahoma is the 28th-largest U.S. state by population. Although it’s a… Read more.

Military veterans trying to overcome the horrors of war are increasingly finding themselves in an unlikely position — persuading Republican politicians to legalize the healing power of ancient psychedelic plants. DailyMail.com spoke with former Marines, Navy Seals and others left traumatized by America's brutal campaigns overseas who have turned to psilocybin mushrooms and other natural drugs to help fight their inner demons. Left-leaning Oregon and Colorado have started to let psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in 'magic' mushrooms, be used in supervised drug journeys to counter depression and… Read more.

Three separate proposals are planned by Pennsylvania lawmakers seeking to legalize recreational marijuana, provide social justice to those with low-level marijuana convictions and reap the tax benefits from a potential billion-dollar industry. Two co-sponsorship memos circulating in the House and Senate propose selling marijuana in state-owned liquor stores, restricting possession and use to adults at least 21 years of age. The memos respectively filed by state Rep. David Delloso, D-Delaware, and state Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Lackawanna/Lehigh, would also permit Pennsylvanians… Read more.

A bill in New Mexico would create two new programs funded by cannabis excise tax revenues, including a community reinvestment grant fund and a substance use disorder prevention and treatment fund, KRQE reports. Currently, all cannabis excise tax revenues are sent into the state’s general fund.  Under the measure, a third of the taxes collected from adult-use sales would be used for those programs. State Rep. Andrea Romero (D), one of the bill’s sponsors, noted that the current version of the bill does not specify that the money would… Read more.

A marijuana legalization bill cleared another Minnesota Senate committee on Wednesday, bringing the total number of panels in the chamber to advance the legislation so far this session to seven. The Human Services Committee passed the measure from Sen. Lindsey Port (D) in a voice vote. “This allows adults to safely and responsibly use cannabis,” Sen. Clare Oumou Verbeten (D), who presented the bill on behalf of Port, told committee members. “It creates a regulated marketplace that’s much safer than… Read more.

A Republican state senator in Pennsylvania is calling on law enforcement to take steps to protect the gun rights of marijuana  consumers, particularly medical cannabis patients—pointing to a federal judge’s recent ruling that the U.S. government’s ban on gun ownership by people who use marijuana is unconstitutional. Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), in a letter to the acting commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, noted that the commonwealth currently prohibits people from obtaining a license to carry firearms if they acknowledge being… Read more.

On March 7, Oklahoma residents will only have one question to answer: Do they support adult-use cannabis legalization? If Oklahomans pass State Question 820 on their ballots, they will follow the national trend toward legalization and become the 22nd state to have ended cannabis prohibition. Of the 29 states where adult-use cannabis is still illegal, 17 of them have introduced legislation to legalize it this year. While most of these proposals are unlikely to be successful in 2023, the trend… Read more.

Two South Dakota medical cannabis firms are suing a former political operative for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), accusing the defendant of defrauding the companies and their investors of about $1.7 million. A former political operative for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is being sued in South Dakota, accused of defrauding two medical cannabis companies and their investors of about $1.7 million, the Star Tribune reports. Dakota Natural Growers, 605 Cannabis, and more than 20 of their investors filed the lawsuit last… Read more.

The Washington Senate has approved a ban on discriminating against cannabis use during the hiring process. The Washington Senate voted 28-21 in favor of a bill on Wednesday that would block employers in the state from refusing to hire someone because they tested positive for cannabis on a drug test, the Seattle Times reports. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Karen Keiser (D), introduced a similar bill last year but the proposal never reached the floor for consideration. The proposal moves next to the… Read more.

Connecticut may establish a Cannabis Ombudsman position for the state’s medical cannabis program, which would be an independent liaison between patients and the state to address concerns about the program. A bill proposed in Connecticut would create the position of Cannabis Ombudsman – an independent person that would serve as a liaison between medical cannabis patients and the state to address concerns, NBC Connecticut reports. The move comes about a month after adult-use cannabis sales commenced in the state which has caused complaints among… Read more.

PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The people behind the popup sites where practitioners examine patients who want to be in South Dakota’s medical-cannabis program won’t face any additional regulations, at least not this year. A state legislative panel has killed two proposals that sought to limit where the exams could be conducted and restrict their advertising. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday rejected HB1129 and HB1172 on 4-1 votes. Republican Sen. Al Novtrup, the lead Senate sponsor on both, cast the lone votes in their support. Republican… Read more.

The 2024 presidential election cycle is already heating up, with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) announcing that she’s seeking the Republican nomination. So where does she stand on marijuana policy issues? That’s a question that will be asked of all major candidates over the coming months as the circle of prospective nominees inevitably widens. Haley, who also served as United Nations (UN) ambassador under President Donald Trump, doesn’t have an especially extensive cannabis background. But she did sign… Read more.

Adults 21 and over could possess up to 2.5 ounces of pot, including up to 15 grams of cannabis concentrates, under the bill. As Texas continues to lag behind the rest of the country in cannabis reform, a Democrat in the Texas House of Representatives has introduced a bill to let the state's municipalities and counties decide whether to legalize recreational weed. House Bill 1937, filed by State Rep. Jessica González of Dallas, would enable municipalities to make the call whether to green… Read more.

New Mexico lawmakers are considering a bill to ban cannabis edibles that could be appealing to children, and another bill that would train teachers in identifying cannabis products and when students may have consumed them. Two legislative proposals in New Mexico would tweak the state’s cannabis laws, including a ban on edibles that could appeal to children, the creation of educational materials for teachers to identify cannabis products and when students consumed them, and ad campaigns aimed to prevent children… Read more.

A proposal introduced last week in Kentucky would ban delta-8 THC products in the state; the bill is nearly identical to another proposal that passed Kentucky’s Senate last year but died in the House. A bill introduced last week in Kentucky would ban delta-8 THC products in the state, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. Kentucky Hemp Association President Katie Moyer told the Journal that if the bill is approved it would “probably end Kentucky’s hemp industry as we know it.”  The measure is nearly identical to… Read more.

Virginia’s Republican-controlled House of Delegates has consistently killed Senate-passed marijuana reform bills this session, and the latest legislation to be stopped in its tracks is a modest proposal to let medical cannabis businesses make certain state-level tax deductions. A House Finance subcommittee on Friday rejected the Senate-approved proposal to give the cannabis industry tax relief that they’re barred from receiving at the federal level under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E. This comes days after the chamber separately killed a measure… Read more.

Records show Russian oligarch and former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the US cannabis industry. One of the biggest backers of the legal US cannabis industry was Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, leaked documents have revealed. Records show Abramovich invested $130 million and provided $194 million in loans to US weed firms between 2016 and 2018, when US states were increasingly shifting from illegal to legal markets. Abramovich was the owner of Chelsea Football… Read more.

DENVER (KDVR) — The City of Denver and the International Church of Cannabis are in a heated dispute over a sculpture in front of the church. The city claims the sculpture is unsafe and hazardous to drivers and has ordered it to be removed, while the church said it’s an expression of their religious beliefs. The sculpture was installed four months ago, and the congregation of “elevationists” believes the sculpture to be holy and part of the church’s practice, where… Read more.

New Hampshire lawmakers working on marijuana legalization legislation met on Tuesday to refine their plan to advance the reform this session, with members of a committee hashing out differences between competing proposals. The intent is to nail down a merged vehicle in a follow-up meeting on Wednesday. The work session of the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Liquor Subcommittee got started with a decent amount of pushback over the chair’s recently proposed amendment to a legalization bill, HB 639, from Majority… Read more.

The White House and key officials are previewing policies and accomplishments of the Biden administration—including marijuana pardons, drug sentencing reform, harm reduction and enhanced drug war enforcement for fentanyl—ahead of the president’s State of the Union address on Tuesday. While it remains to be seen if President Joe Biden will explicitly discuss the cannabis and drug policy issues when he appears before the joint session of Congress, the statements are meant to expand on the basic parameters of the annual… Read more.

As 2023 began, cannabis advocates on Capitol Hill and the industry at large were steeped in frustration and disappointment. In December, despite broad bipartisan support, Senate Republicans abruptly stripped the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Act from must-pass spending legislation, crushing the industry’s expectation that critical banking services at last were within reach. As lawmakers departed for the winter holiday, legal business owners—many of whom are forced to do business in cash—contemplated another year of spiraling operating costs and workplace vulnerability. Nevertheless,… Read more.

A top Republican Wisconsin lawmaker is pushing back against the idea that the conservative legislature is close to making a deal on medical marijuana legalization, and he’s again warning the Democratic governor against calling for adult-use legalization as part of his forthcoming budget request. While Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R) said last week that his caucus is “getting pretty close” on medical cannabis reform, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in a new interview published on… Read more.

Texas activists have turned in more than 37,000 signatures to place a measure on the San Antonio ballot in May to decriminalize marijuana, prevent the enforcement of abortion restriction laws and ban no-knock warrants. A coalition of advocacy groups—including Ground Game Texas, SA Stands and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)—secured the signatures about three months after launching the local reform campaign. This builds on the activist-led cannabis decriminalization movement that Ground Game has spearheaded in cities across the Lone Star… Read more.

While the Biden administration investigates marijuana's federal scheduling, a bipartisan group of congressional members is urging the president to openly support outright legalization. Recently, a letter which is slated to be addressed to President Joe Biden and key cabinet officials was obtained by Marijuana Moment. The Congressmen stated in the letter that while they applaud the directive of the scheduling review, the administration should embrace the virtues of full descheduling. The letter states that while the congressmen don't always agree on… Read more.

Texas activists have turned in what they say are enough signatures to place a measure on the Harker Heights ballot to reverse a City Council move that repealed a voter-approved marijuana decriminalization initiative. Ground Game Texas, which was behind a number of successful local decriminalization measures that passed this year, is also criticizing an outgoing district attorney’s request that the state attorney general issue an opinion on a separate reform initiative that voters approved overwhelmingly in San Marcos. In Harker… Read more.

As we have always said, weed will be legal in America when Mitch McConnell says it will be. On Tuesday, U.S. cannabis stocks dropped significantly after hopes for cannabis regulatory reform fell through in Congress. Specifically, adopting a cannabis-focused proposal in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is doubtful since a familiar opposition has raised concerns again. Republican leaders have opposed attempts to add a draft of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act to the must-pass yearly National Defense Authorization… Read more.

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky residents will be able to import THC-containing products from surrounding states beginning January 1, 2023, under an executive order Gov. Andy Beshear (D) signed Tuesday. The order allows qualified medical patients to possess up to eight ounces of cannabis legally obtained in another state. Until now, only CBD oil was permitted. Beshear also signed a second order regulating the sale of Delta-8 THC, effective November 15, 2022. “Our citizens should not face criminal punishment for treating certain medical conditions with… Read more.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says Congress is getting “very close” to introducing and passing a marijuana bill with provisions covering banking access for legal businesses and expungements of past convictions, citing progress he’s made in discussions with a “bunch of Republican senators.” During a debate with his Republican reelection opponent Joe Pinion on Sunday, Schumer was asked about a separate broader cannabis legalization bill he filed this year and whether he felt it would make more sense to… Read more.

Drug raids in Detroit have fallen 95 percent since a peak in 2012, largely as a result of voters’ decision to legalize recreational marijuana and shifting other police priorities. Detroit police conducted 3,462 drug raids in fiscal year 2012. Nearly every year since then, that number has declined. Last year, police conducted 186 drug raids, according to the city’s annual financial report. The 95 percent decline in drug raids in the city is the result of a combination of factors,… Read more.

California is starting to push businesses out with a slew of progressive laws that infringe on business freedom and give employers more responsibility. The Golden State has led the way in promoting progressive employment proposals that, according to Bloomberg, are scaring businesses away because employers claim they cannot endure more legal uncertainty while they are still recovering from the aftermath of covid-19. Governor Gavin Newsom’s flurry of bill signings includes SB 1162, a rule that catches the attention of businesses. It is… Read more.

As Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) works to enact marijuana reform before the end of Congress, he’s also pushing to promote access to psychedelics that he says hold therapeutic potential. In a video posted to Twitter on Monday, the senator talked about how psychedelics like psilocybin are strictly controlled under federal law as Schedule I drugs, which places “a lot of limitations” on them. “But at the same time, we’re having massive breakthroughs in a lot of the research,” he said,… Read more.

Joe Biden took a step towards marijuana decriminalization last week when he granted a mass pardon to anyone convicted of a federal crime for simple possession of the drug. He also asked governors to take similar steps, and directed his administration to review marijuana’s status as a Schedule I substance alongside hard drugs like heroin. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” Biden said. “It’s time that we right these wrongs…There are thousands of people who were… Read more.

Just over three-quarters of self-identified Republicans said the government shouldn’t fight state legalization backed by voters, a poll found. Republicans don’t want the federal government to crack down on state-legal weed markets. Just over three-quarters of self-identified Republicans said the government shouldn’t fight state medical or adult-use legalization backed by voters and instead should remove any obstacles facing those markets, according to a new national poll commissioned by the industry group National Cannabis Roundtable. Just 17 percent of respondents disagreed that the… Read more.

California officials announced on Wednesday that the state will be awarding up to $20 million in marijuana tax-funded grants to universities that carry out research into cannabis science and policy—including studies on preventing monopolies in the legal industry and securing the genetics of “legacy” strains. This is the second round of academic marijuana grants from the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), which said it is soliciting research proposals from public colleges with a focus on five priority study areas. The… Read more.