Just over a week after a midterm election that saw voters in two states legalize cannabis for adults, Congress has approved The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act. The Act seeks to facilitate the federal approval of cannabis-specific scientific research and drug development. It was approved by unanimous consent in the Senate after initially […]
The percentage of Americans who say that “the use of marijuana should be legal” remains at a record high, according to new nationwide polling data provided by Gallup. Sixty-eight percent of respondents endorse cannabis legalization — the same level of support reported by pollsters in 2021 and 2020. Majorities of nearly every subgroup surveyed expressed […]
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order providing legal protections for qualifying patients who obtain medical cannabis products from out-of-state. The order provides those eligible patients a “full, complete, and conditional pardon” if they face prosecution for the possession of up to eight ounces of cannabis. “Kentuckians suffering from chronic and terminal conditions are […]
On Tuesday, November 15th, the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties held a hearing entitled “Developments in State Cannabis Laws and Bipartisan Cannabis Reforms at the Federal Level.” They heard testimony from advocates representing a wide variety of stakeholders and political ideologies who share their support for ending federal prohibition. […]
Voters in two states, Maryland and Missouri, decided in favor of ballot measures legalizing the adult-use of cannabis, while voters in various cities in the United States similarly approved measures at the ballot box ending marijuana-related arrests and prosecutions. “While this year’s mid-term election may not have been a ‘clean sweep’ for reform advocates, our […]
Missouri voters have decided in favor of a ballot initiative (Amendment 3) legalizing the possession, cultivation, and licensed retail sale of cannabis for those ages 21 and older. The vote marks the first time that voters in a mid-western state have ever decided in favor of a citizens’ initiative legalizing marijuana for adult use. “Missourians […]
Mayor Muriel Bowser has signed legislation increasing cannabis possession limits for authorized patients and permitting non-residents access to the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries. Under the new law, which still must undergo Congressional review, authorized medical cannabis patients who reside in the District of Columbia may legally possess up to eight ounces of herbal cannabis. (Previous […]
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 […]
Members of the NAACP’s Board of Directors have approved a resolution calling upon Congress to enact legislation that explicitly allows banks to provide financial services to state-licensed cannabis businesses. Federal law discourages banks and other financial institutions from maintaining relationships with marijuana-related businesses because the plant remains classified as a Schedule I controlled substance. According to data provided by the US Treasury Department earlier this year, […]
When a product hits the shelf of a gas station, you know it’s gotten to a level of success and normalcy in our culture. And it looks like weed is about to reach this milestone. Circle K, a national convenience store chain, has made a deal with Green Thumb Industries to sell marijuana in its […]
