House lawmakers have delayed committee consideration of a large-scale defense bill—which advocates had hoped to see advance with marijuana reform provisions attached—amid disagreements over several key issues that have not been resolved. Meanwhile, the offices of several Republican senators met with the Department of Justice to discuss their concerns with pending cannabis banking reforms. Advocates […]| Marijuana Moment
“The president was very clear—he wants this done as quickly as possible.” By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra said in Tampa Friday that he intends for his agency to move “as quickly as we can” to comply with President Joe Biden’s directive to review the decades-old policy […]| Marijuana Moment
President Joe Biden is cheering the Oregon governor’s move to grant tens of thousands of marijuana pardons this week, which followed his own federal clemency action last month. And he says other states should “follow Oregon’s example.” Gov. Kate Brown (D) announced on Monday that she was issuing pardons for more than 47,000 cannabis possession […]| Marijuana Moment
President-elect Joe Biden has picked the current attorney general of California to lead serve as the next federal secretary of health and human services, a position that could play a central role in loosening laws prohibiting marijuana. That seems to be good news for legalization advocates, as Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) has a considerable […]| Marijuana Moment
Just one in four Republicans agree that people of color are unfairly punished over marijuana, despite data consistently showing that Black and Hispanic people are disproportionately arrested over cannabis compared to white people, according to a new poll. It’s a significant finding, especially given how commonly studies and reports about racial discrimination in cannabis enforcement […]| Marijuana Moment
The Justice Department and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) say they will quickly act to follow President Joe Biden’s new directive to review marijuana’s federal scheduling status and process mass cannabis possession pardons. Within an hour after the president made the surprise announcement, a DOJ spokesperson released a statement saying the department […]| Marijuana Moment
President Joe Biden has officially signed a marijuana research bill into law, making history by enacting the first piece of standalone federal cannabis reform legislation in U.S. history. The bill cleared the House in July and the Senate last month, and a White House spokesperson confirmed to Marijuana Moment that the president intended to sign […]| Marijuana Moment