Lawmakers have advanced legislation to regulate the adult-use marijuana market in the territory of the US Virgin Islands (population: 106,000). Senators overwhelmingly approved amended legislation, ‘The Virgin Islands Cannabis Use Act,’ which seeks to “establish a regulated system for the cultivation, manufacture, and sale of cannabis for adult, medical, and sacramental use.” The proposed measure, […]
President Joe Biden’s recent directive asking the secretary of Health and Human Services and the attorney general “to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law” shines a spotlight on the federal government’s ‘flat Earth’ cannabis policies. In particular, it raises the question: Why does federal law continue to classify cannabis more […]
Fulfilling a high-profile campaign pledge, President Joe Biden recently announced that his office will be issuing pardons to several thousand Americans with federal convictions for marijuana possession offenses. “There are thousands of people who have prior federal convictions for marijuana possession, who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result,” the president said. “My […]
A growing percentage of Americans want Congress to prioritize legalizing marijuana. Federal lawmakers, and Democrats, in particular, would be wise to listen to them. President Biden took partial steps [on Thursday] by announcing pardons for individuals with federal convictions for simple marijuana possession and by calling for a review of how marijuana is scheduled under federal law, […]
Rarely a week goes by without police or other public officials warning about so-called “fentanyl-laced” weed. Upon closer inspection, however, there’s little if any truth behind these sensational claims. A case in point: Police in Brattleboro, Vermont generated headlines last year when they, along with agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of […]
Those who wish to perpetuate the failed public policy of cannabis criminalization have lost the hearts and minds of the American public. And they know it. With public support for marijuana policy reform reaching super-majority status in recent years, prohibitionists and other political opponents have largely abandoned efforts to try and influence public opinion. Rather, they are […]
Those offering dire warnings about the alleged dangers of so-called ‘highly potent THC products’ – and demanding that these products be recriminalized – are taking their cues from an age-old playbook. From the onset of criminal cannabis prohibition, criminalization advocates have sought to rationalize their position by greatly exaggerating the supposed strength of marijuana. In […]
Members of the US House of Representatives have once again advanced legislation, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, to the US Senate. Members voted yesterday in favor of must-pass legislation, the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). That legislative package includes SAFE Banking as an amendment. The vote marks the seventh time that […]
Governors in two states, Colorado and Illinois, recently signed legislation into law further facilitating the ability of those with past convictions for cannabis to have their records expunged. In Colorado, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 99 into law. It further expands and streamlines the state’s automatic record sealing process for those convicted of […]
Litigating parties have agreed to a settlement that will postpone any opportunity for voters to decide on a citizens’ initiated marijuana measure until November 2023. The measure, spearheaded by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, seeks to permit adults to possess, home cultivate, and purchase limited quantities of cannabis. Earlier this year, advocates collected a sufficient […]
