Federal Policy

The SAFE Banking Act, which was co-sponsored by one-third of the House and one-fifth of the Senate, may never advance further than the Senate Banking Committee after the committee’s chair Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said he would not commit to granting the legislation a hearing.

California Senator and 2020 presidential hopeful Kamala Harris said during a live-streamed interview on Wednesday that convicted cannabis dealers should be pardoned and given the opportunity to participate in the industry they pioneered.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released guidance allowing farmers to import hemp seed from international industrial hemp markets — as long as said seeds are documented to produce plants containing less THC than the federal limit of 0.3 percent.

Immigrants and green card-holders in the U.S. can be denied citizenship for cannabis use or for working in the industry even in states where it is legal, according to a recent federal guidance.

President Trump’s Attorney General said on Wednesday he would prefer the proposed STATES Act, which would allow states to set their own cannabis policies, over the current disconnect between state and federal cannabis laws.

The FDA last month warned three U.S. companies who were distributing hemp-derived CBD products that their products violate federal law.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he will support a legislative fix for issues with federal industrial hemp rules.

The FDA is planning a public hearing next month to consider the safety, manufacturing, product quality, marketing, labeling, and sale of federally regulated CBD products.

Federal lawmakers on Thursday advanced a sweeping cannabis reform bill out of committee for the first time, ever.

The House Financial Services Committee is set to vote next week on the SAFE Banking Act; it will be the first Congressional cannabis vote of the year.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who just announced plans to create federal CBD regulations, now says he will retire next month.

A bill introduced in 2017 that failed to receive a hearing has been re-introduced to the Senate in the new session.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gotliebb is planning a meeting for public comment and testimony in April about creating a regulatory framework for CBD.

The Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act had a contentious hearing before the House Financial Services Subcommittee and it’s uncertain whether it will be considered by the full House.

A bill that would provide banking access and federal protections for state-legal cannabis businesses has received a House committee hearing for the first time in national history.

The former Republican House Speaker continues his pro-cannabis change of heart after being appointed the “honorary” chairman of lobbying group the National Cannabis Roundtable.

The first hearing of the year is scheduled for February 13 in front of the Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions Subcommittee.

A federal judge has set a binding precedent by ruling that intent does not matter when it comes to cannabis consumption — accidentally consuming cannabis is still a fireable offense.

The New Jersey Senator, who has already introduced significant cannabis legalization legislation to the federal Congress, announced his campaign on the Tom Joyner Morning Show.

New Mexico’s largest medical cannabis producer filed a formal complaint against the New Mexico State Fair following an attempt by that organization to limit what the company could display in an educational booth.

President Trump’s nominee for Attorney General Bill Barr told senators in his confirmation hearing that he’s not interested in attacking state-legal cannabis businesses.

The cannabis industry lobbying organization is bringing more lobbyists onboard to pressure for passage of the STATES Act this session.

H.R. 420 would decriminalize cannabis and allow states to establish legalization, placing federal regulations under the ATF.