A top staffer for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on Thursday about the path forward for a federal marijuana legalization bill and the prospects of passing incremental measures like cannabis banking reform in the interim. At an event hosted by the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR), Schumer’s chief counsel Reginald Babin said that […]| Marijuana Moment
The House sponsor of a bipartisan marijuana banking bill revealed on Friday that conversations have been happening behind the scenes with Senate leadership about amending his legislation in a way that more specifically addresses equity issues to win their support. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) made the comments to Marijuana Moment just hours before the House […]| Marijuana Moment
As congressional lawmakers work to advance federal marijuana legalization, a bipartisan duo on Thursday filed a bill that would incentivize states and local governments to expunge cannabis records in their jurisdictions. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are sponsoring the legislation, titled the Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE) Act. It would encourage […]| Marijuana Moment
A key congressman involved in bicameral negotiations on a large-scale manufacturing bill says he’s optimistic about the prospects of including marijuana banking reform in the final version of the legislation that gets signed into law. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a longstanding champion of cannabis legalization who is serving as a conferee on the America COMPETES […]| Marijuana Moment
A bicameral congressional conference committee tasked with settling differences on a large-scale manufacturing bill kicked off negotiations on Thursday—and several appointed conferees from the House and Senate took the opportunity to push for marijuana banking reform as part of the package. At least seven members made a point to raise the cannabis issue as part […]| Marijuana Moment
When it comes to U.S. Border Patrol drug seizures, many people probably assume agents are primarily targeting large shipments of illegal substances being smuggled by international cartels. But at checkpoints across the country, agents are mostly taking small amounts of marijuana from American citizens, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). […]| Marijuana Moment