Spending bills unveiled in the U.S. House of Representatives include provisions to protect medical legalization laws from federal interference, ease marijuana businesses’ access to basic banking services, expand cannabis research, oversee the country’s hemp and CBD industries and finally grant Washington, D.C. the ability to legalize recreational sales.
“More and more, cannabis provisions are becoming a normal staple of federal appropriations packages,” Justin Strekal, political director for NORML, told Marijuana Moment. “This bodes well for our opportunity to receive a vote on standalone marijuana legislation in the near future.”
It’s still early in the process, and much can change over the next few week. But below are details on the spending bills.
Banking. The bill includes a provision removing some roadblocks to banking and financial services for legal cannabis businesses at the state level. But it is a watered-down version of the stand-alone bill (SAFE Act) passed in the House and stalled in the Senate. While the Treasury Department would be barred from punishing banks, the Justice Department could still prosecute both banks and businesses.
Research. The spending bill covering the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education would prevent colleges and universities from losing funding simply for researching cannabis or its applications.
Advocacy. Schools receiving federal funds would be prevented from actually advocating for legalization.
D.C. Legalization. The Financial Services and General Government spending bill, which also covers matters relating to the District of Columbia, would remove a budget rider that has prevented Washington, D.C. from legalizing recreational marijuana sales.
Hemp and CBD Regulation. The bill funding the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) contains “funding to develop a framework for regulating CBD products.” And the DOJ spending bill includes a rider meant to protect state hemp research programs established under the 2014 Farm Bill, which launched research and commercial ventures in a number of states.
State medical marijuana laws. A DOJ spending bill extends legal protections to states with medical marijuana programs by prohibiting the DOJ from using federal funds to interfere with legal medical cannabis laws.
News
Hope on the Hill?
/in Legislation, Politics /by AdminThe U.S. House of Representatives voted last week in favor of an amendment to protect all state, territory and tribal marijuana programs from federal interference. The measure prevents the Department of Justice from using its money to impede the implementation of cannabis legalization laws. It passed in a 254-163 vote on the floor.
“This is the most significant vote on marijuana policy reform that the House of Representatives has taken this year,” NORML Political Director Justin Strekal said. “The importance of this bipartisan vote cannot be overstated as today; nearly one in four Americans reside in a jurisdiction where the adult use of cannabis is legal under state statute. It is time for Congress to acknowledge this reality and retain these protections in the final spending bill.”
Also last week…
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced the “Substance Regulation and Safety Act,” which would deschedule cannabis, require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop rules that treat marijuana the same as tobacco, create a national research institute to evaluate the risks and benefits of cannabis, require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to impose quality control standards and mandate that the Department of Transportation study methods for detecting THC-impaired driving.
Also in the House…
there are reports that leadership intends to hold a floor vote on a comprehensive cannabis legalization bill in September. Specifically, the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, which was approved by the Judiciary Committee last year, would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, expunge the records of those with prior marijuana convictions and impose a federal five percent tax on sales. The resulting revenue would be reinvested in communities most impacted by the war on drugs. The Marijuana Justice Coalition (MJC), a coalition of civil rights and drug policy reform groups, including the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, Drug Policy Alliance and NORM, has circulated a letter to members of Congress, imploring them to sign onto the MORE Act.
And finally…
as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) grumbles about provisions in the Democrats $3.4 trillion coronavirus relief package that allows cannabis businesses to work with federally-backed banks and insurers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) shot back, calling cannabis a necessary “therapy” related to the public health.
Presidential Politics
/in Legislation, Politics /by AdminYes, the Democratic National Committee delegates voted against including marijuana legalization in the party platform. Not surprising considering presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden doesn’t support federal legalization of recreational marijuana. Biden does back decriminalizing marijuana on the federal level and legalization of medical marijuana.
In the grand scheme of things, does it matter when it comes to the future legalization of cannabis? Probably not. For better or worse, the DNC vote appears to be more of a strategic decision to avoid controversy before the election.
The fact is that a November of 2019, a Pew Research study revealed that 9 out of 10 Americans favor legalization of either medical or recreational/adult-use marijuana. If the Democrats were to win both the White House and Senate, most observers believe there is the will for decriminalization and leaving the question of legalization up to states.
With social equity on the minds of many in the cannabis industry, Marijuana Business Daily asked six Black cannabis business executives from around the country their thoughts on how to create a more inclusive industry. They cover everything from licensing to partnering with minority-owned businesses to changing the makeup of your C-Suite. The story is here.
Movement in the right direction.
More to be done
Richard Cowan, the former NORML National Director and author on the Real Tested CBD blog, encourages businesses to invest in Black entrepreneurs. “We cannot just back BLM and think we have done our duty,” he writes.
And in closing…
/in Humor /by AdminEven during a pandemic, the work continues.
/in Legislation, Politics /by AdminSpending bills unveiled in the U.S. House of Representatives include provisions to protect medical legalization laws from federal interference, ease marijuana businesses’ access to basic banking services, expand cannabis research, oversee the country’s hemp and CBD industries and finally grant Washington, D.C. the ability to legalize recreational sales.
“More and more, cannabis provisions are becoming a normal staple of federal appropriations packages,” Justin Strekal, political director for NORML, told Marijuana Moment. “This bodes well for our opportunity to receive a vote on standalone marijuana legislation in the near future.”
It’s still early in the process, and much can change over the next few week. But below are details on the spending bills.
Banking. The bill includes a provision removing some roadblocks to banking and financial services for legal cannabis businesses at the state level. But it is a watered-down version of the stand-alone bill (SAFE Act) passed in the House and stalled in the Senate. While the Treasury Department would be barred from punishing banks, the Justice Department could still prosecute both banks and businesses.
Research. The spending bill covering the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education would prevent colleges and universities from losing funding simply for researching cannabis or its applications.
Advocacy. Schools receiving federal funds would be prevented from actually advocating for legalization.
D.C. Legalization. The Financial Services and General Government spending bill, which also covers matters relating to the District of Columbia, would remove a budget rider that has prevented Washington, D.C. from legalizing recreational marijuana sales.
Hemp and CBD Regulation. The bill funding the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) contains “funding to develop a framework for regulating CBD products.” And the DOJ spending bill includes a rider meant to protect state hemp research programs established under the 2014 Farm Bill, which launched research and commercial ventures in a number of states.
State medical marijuana laws. A DOJ spending bill extends legal protections to states with medical marijuana programs by prohibiting the DOJ from using federal funds to interfere with legal medical cannabis laws.
BLM
/in News, People, Politics /by AdminThe cannabis community has come together nationally as an ally to Black Lives Matter, the
political and social movement emphasizing basic human rights and racial equality for Black people. Some key resources are below.
How the movement may impact the industry
Black owned businesses to support in
and around Denver
Organizations working for social justice, diversity
and community empowerment
Organizations fighting for BIPOC justice
and equality
It is far too early to determine what the long-term effects of the coronavirus will be on the cannabis industry. So far, the industry as a whole appears to have fared relatively well. But questions remain as to what happens when unemployment benefits run out and whether the local economies in Colorado and other states are forced to shut down again due to the pandemic.
More Data Shows Less Crime
/in Crime, Research /by AdminA new study finds that Colorado’s legal cannabis industry
has decreased crime in neighboring states.
“Border counties in the Colorado region saw substantial decreases in overall property crime rate and larceny rate relative to non-border counties following Colorado’s legalization,” according to the study. “This finding suggests that recreational marijuana legalization in a state (e.g., Colorado) may not bring about negative consequences on crime in neighboring states, which challenges the assertions made by public officials in these neighboring states arguing a crime-inducing effect of legalization.”
Read more here.
Colorado’s First Licensed Cannabis Research Facility
/in Research, Science /by AdminThe City of Denver issued its first license specifically for medical marijuana research and development. Med Pharm received the license to begin examining the effects of marijuana on Alzheimer’s disease.
“We are excited for the possibilities for this type of medical research to find effective research for a whole host of illnesses,” said Ashley Kilroy, the City of Denver’s Executive Director of Excise and Licenses. “Also we really see this license-type in particular, a license that could attract some of the best and brightest to Denver to attract this type of work.”
Med Pharm, a phytopharmaceutical and intellectual property holding company, was created to develop innovative cannabis products, using accepted pharmaceutical formulation techniques, to reliably produce identifiable and replicable dosage forms for human use. And Colorado Leads member, Andy Williams, is on its board.
Yeah, let’s legalize … something?
/in Legislation, People, Politics /by AdminTim Childers, one of 12 Frankfort City Commission candidates, lit a marijuana pipe while answering a question during a live video debate.
“Let’s go against the state and legalize something,” Childers said as he held a lighter to his marijuana pipe. “Big money in that. Bunch of states doing it. I have the answers — candidate with solutions, people.”