Author: News Room

A bipartisan marijuana banking bill that’s scheduled for a Senate committee markup next week has been revised in several key ways—primarily related to federal financial regulations, guidance and reporting requirements—according to full text of the the most recent version of the legislation that was obtained by Marijuana Moment on Tuesday. The newly amended Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act hasn’t been formally filed yet. But following weeks of negotiations, senators have finally reached a deal. This is the latest version of the legislation, differing from an iteration reported by Politico earlier on Tuesday. The bill, which is set…

Senators have “probably found a sweet spot” in negotiations over a bipartisan marijuana banking bill, with an agreement to to leave a section favored by Republicans “intact, as it is,” according to one GOP member of the Senate Banking Committee. As that panel prepares to hold a markup of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act next week, details about the revised bill are slowly surfacing. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) told Politico that one of the remaining sticking points appears to have been resolved, with a deal to keep a section dealing with broad banking regulations, as Republicans have…

A marijuana banking bill that’s set for a Senate committee markup next week has an updated title and several new provisions related to federal financial regulations, guidance and reporting requirements, according to a summary that is circulating. And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Tuesday he intends to “bring this legislation to the floor with all due speed.” The title of the measure is being extended by one word. The bill that’s being circulated ahead of the Senate Banking Committee vote is now being called the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act. Importantly, the summary, first…

California lawmakers delivered a slew of marijuana and psychedelics bills to the governor as the session came to a close last week, and now the question is: will he sign, veto or allow them to take effect without his signature? More than a dozen drug policy reform measures have been sent to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in recent weeks. The governor has long championed marijuana legalization and taken steps to support the industry, but his position on each of the individual measures is currently unclear. One piece of legislation that advocates are paying particularly close attention to…

A group in Oregon wants to make drug possession a crime again, having unveiled two versions of a would-be ballot initiative that would undo key provisions of Measure 110, the 2020 voter-approved measure that decriminalized simple possession of all drugs. The proposal—which backers say they’ll pursue both through the state legislature and at the ballot box, if necessary—would make it a misdemeanor crime to possess certain “hard” drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and others. It would also create a new misdemeanor criminal offense for using unlawful drugs in public. A second version of the measure would go further, increasing…

As Ohioans prepare to vote on a marijuana legalization initiative at the ballot in November, state lawmakers are already thinking about ways they might seek to revise the law if approved. But while top officials like the governor and Senate president oppose the reform, some bipartisan legislators are dismissing the idea that there would be enough opposition to enact a full-on repeal. The reform initiative, which was certified for the ballot last month after activists turned in enough valid signatures to qualify, has exposed some intra-party divides on cannabis policy. Gov. Mike DeWine (R) opposes the reform, as does Senate…

A coalition of 35 cannabis trade associations, drug policy reform groups and a top national labor union are calling on Congress to help address the “humanitarian toll” of robberies targeting cash-intensive marijuana businesses by passing a bipartisan cannabis banking bill “this year.” As the Senate Banking Committee prepares to vote on the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act next week, the coalition sent a letter to congressional lawmakers on Tuesday that described passage of the legislation as a “moral imperative.” The letter, led by StoptheDrugWar.org and the Cannabis Alliance, offers a worker safety perspective on the issue, explaining how…

“I am sharing job opportunities constantly with the students, and the students are reporting back getting hired within the industry before even graduating the program.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent Karina Hernandez’s ideal work environment is surrounded by plants, with her hands in the dirt. Although she already has a biology degree, she recently decided to go back to school to take classes in horticulture at St. Louis Community College at Meramec, the state’s largest horticulture program. And she was surprised to see courses on hemp and cannabis cultivation on the list. On the first day of her introduction to…

During the second meeting of a New Hampshire commission tasked with preparing legislation to legalize marijuana through a novel system of state-run stores, members on Monday considered an alternative proposal that would instead establish a franchise model for cannabis sales. “The model that we are looking to put into place, that we feel would be feasible, is that the Liquor Commission would be the franchisor and the franchisee would be the retailer,” Joseph Mollica, chairman of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, told the panel. The scheme would allow the state to handle administration and marketing of adult-use marijuana while leaving…

N.O.R.E. went to school to be a human resources manager. He never imagined he’d be the co-host of one of the biggest hip-hop podcasts in the world, let alone an accomplished rapper. But in 2016, he and DJ EFN (short for his real name, Eric Fernando Narciandi) turned what was a passion project into a legitimate platform—Drink Champs. Seven years later, they’ve fielded hundreds of guests, some more controversial than others, and thrown back way too many shots to count, but they’re thriving. “My vision in life was to be a rap star,” N.O.R.E. tells High Times. “That was my…