Cannabis Politics

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Rules once again blocked two amendments crafted to fight the opioid crisis from being brought to the floor for a vote, Marijuana Moment‘s Tom Angell reports. The two amendments — one pushing the VA to research medical cannabis and one preventing the federal government from blocking access […]

Illinois lawmakers have approved a bill that would make having an opioid prescription into a temporary qualifying condition for the state’s medical cannabis program, NPR reports. The move is an effort to reduce the devastating effects of opioid dependence, which results in the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year. Dubbed the Alternatives to […]

Medical cannabis clinics are beginning to open their doors in Columbus, Ohio, though the industry’s medical cannabis products aren’t ready and, in fact, haven’t even been planted yet. Instead, businesses have doctors on-site who are meeting with future patients and helping people sign up for Ohio’s new medical cannabis program. “Our goal is to get […]

Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee voted down a measure designed to protect banking institutions that are willing to work with cannabis businesses, according to a Forbes report by Tom Angell. The measure would have stopped the Treasury Department from penalizing a financial institution solely for doing business with a company in the cannabis industry, […]

Last week, Canada’s Senate approved the House of Commons’ bill to legalize cannabis but attached several amendments limiting the scope of legalization, including one that allows provinces to ban home cultivation and another imposing heavy advertising restrictions on cannabis companies. Now, the House of Commons has rejected a number of the Senate’s amendments — including […]

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, in an email sent to her staff Tuesday, said her office will no longer prosecute typical possession charges for less than 100 grams of cannabis, according to a report by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This step is the city’s next towards full decriminalization following a decision earlier this year by […]

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry advanced the 2018 Farm Bill on Wednesday in an overwhelmingly supportive 20-1 vote, according to a Marijuana Moment report. “It’s a landmark piece of legislation that will benefit farmers and communities throughout our country. I’m particularly excited that the legislation being considered today includes provisions from the Hemp Farming Act […]

Democratic Party members in South Carolina support passing a state law that would allow doctors to prescribe medical cannabis with a strong, 82 percent majority, according to a Post and Courier report. The votes were collected using non-binding resolutions on internal party ballots; the resolutions were crafted to gauge party opinion and increase turnout. Democratic […]

In an interview with a Cincinnati TV station, former Speaker of the House John Boehner said that the federal government should “get out of the way” of cannabis legalization. Boehner’s longtime political stance was against cannabis. However, since leaving public office in 2015 and doing more research, he’s changed his opinion on cannabis. These days, […]

The mayors of seven large U.S. cities in states with adult-use laws formed a coalition on Monday asking the U.S. federal government to remove cannabis from the list of controlled substances, reports the Chicago Tribune. Mayors from Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and West Sacramento sponsored a resolution at the U.S. […]

Detroit city officials are considering an ordinance that would create new location restrictions for medical cannabis operators and cap the number of medical cannabis companies allowed in the city at 75, according to a Detroit News report. It is the latest effort by Detroit officials to reign in the city’s medical cannabis industry. The changes, submitted […]

The Senate Agricultural Committee unveiled its version of the 2018 Farm Bill last Friday, which includes a push to fully legalize industrial hemp, according to a Harvest Public Media report. The Senate’s Farm Bill has so far this year been a bipartisan project spearheaded by committee chairman Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and ranking minority member Sen. […]

On Thursday, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) introduced a bipartisan bill that would ensure states have the right to regulate cannabis, reports The Hill. The bill is titled the “Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act.” The bill is a reaction to the Trump administration’s stance against cannabis legalization. The […]

Canadian senators have ratified Bill C-45, aka the Cannabis Act, in a 56-30 vote with one abstention, according to a CBC report. The vote was true to party lines, with Conservatives dissenting and Liberals and most Independents falling in line under the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who made legalization a large part of his […]

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved on Thursday an amendment to SB 3024 that ensures access to medical marijuana cannot be denied to veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a press release. The amendment was introduced to the committee by Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana), whose office makes clear it’s both a veterans and […]

On Wednesday, the Edmonton, Alberta city community and public services committee agreed to rules allowing the smoking of cannabis in outdoor public spaces like parks and sidewalks, the CBC reports. Cannabis smokers in outside spaces would conform to similar rules as tobacco smokers, remaining 10 meters away from doors and open windows and 30 meters away […]

Leon County Circuit Court Judge Karen Gievers on Tuesday upheld her May 25 ruling, lifting a stay on her decision that the Florida legislature’s statewide ban on smokeable medical cannabis products is unconstitutional, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Judge Gievers said that the state has until June 11 to enact a process to allow smokeable cannabis products […]

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday unanimously and without amendment passed a resolution recognizing the economic potential of industrial hemp. The non-binding measure was passed in recognition of Hemp History Week, according to reporter Tom Angell’s investigation for Forbes. This is the third year in a row that the U.S. Senate has adopted non-binding resolutions recognizing the […]

The Michigan Legislature has decided to pass on Tuesday, June 5th’s midnight deadline to act on a voter initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis, the Detroit Free Press reports. Senate Republicans had wanted to take up and pass the measure before it was put on November’s ballot in order to immediately amend the language of the […]

Gov. John Hickenlooper, in a record-setting ninth veto of the year, rejected a bill that would have added Autism Spectrum Disorder to the list of conditions qualifying for medical marijuana on Tuesday, the Denver Post reports. Hickenlooper said, regarding the veto, he could not ignore overwhelming concerns from the medical community. “If we sign that bill […]

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper vetoed a bill on Monday that would have allowed licensed cannabis tasting rooms, citing health and safety concerns, according to a Denver Post report. The legislation — the first of its kind in the nation — would have allowed adults at recreational cannabis retailers to consume small amounts of cannabis via either a […]

According to a report by the Winston-Salem Journal, a Forsyth County, North Carolina legislator has sponsored a state Senate bill that would legalize the possession of up to four ounces of cannabis flower or plant material (for personal use) before one could be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor. The language of the bill redefines less than […]

According to a Michigan Radio report, advocates from the “Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol” say they are watching closely as the deadline approaches for legislative action on the state’s cannabis legalization issue. Tuesday, June 5th is the deadline for the legislature to decide whether to approve the petition and write it into law or leave […]

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a medical cannabis expansion program into law on Saturday that adds to the list of qualifying conditions that qualify a patient for participating in the program, according to a USA Today Network Friday report. House Bill 579, which contained the expansions, was first proposed by state Rep. Ted James […]