Author: News Room

They left T’s Jaguar on Third Avenue in a nice neighborhood so it’d be there when they returned, and took a battered VW bug down to the street. It was Friday, a busy time, and twilight was filling out rich and blue. A mild temperature and lack of precipitation gave the night a crispness Alvira found comforting. Almost felt like nothing could go wrong under such ideal conditions. But he knew the feeling to be without substance. A misleading calm prevailed as they descended on Alphabet City. The biggest smack emporium on the East Coast stretched before them as they…

“We are not a monopoly-type framework… We’re not going to have any mascots.” By Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal Ohio voters will once again have the chance to legalize marijuana on November 7—eight years after Ohioans overwhelmingly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have made cannabis legal. But there are some key differences between the two. Issue 3 in 2015 was a proposed constitutional amendment and today’s Issue 2 is a citizen-initiated statue, or law. “Because of that, it does allow the legislature significantly more leeway to be able to change the details of the law with further legislation,”…

A congressional committee next week will vote on a bill to protect people from being denied federal employment or security clearances due to marijuana use—and to provide relief for people who lost opportunities due to cannabis in the past. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will hold a markup on the legislation, the Cannabis Users’ Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act, on Wednesday, Chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced late Friday. “Every year, qualified and dedicated individuals seeking to serve our country are unable to secure federal jobs and security clearances because the federal government has not caught up with the widely…

Representatives of multiple federal agencies participated in a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) meeting on Friday for a wide-ranging discussion about cannabis policy, with experts sharing their perspective on issues such as marijuana research barriers under prohibition, efforts to create a regulated pathway for CBD, state initiatives to promote social equity and more. At the NASEM Committee on Public Health Consequences of Changes in the Cannabis Policy Landscape meeting, agencies made a series of presentations to share the policy areas that they’re prioritizing, as well as ongoing questions that they’re working to answer about the impacts of…

Kansas City, Missouri officials have green-lighted using proceeds from a 3 percent municipal tax on marijuana to fund a violence prevention program in the city. The City Council on Thursday approved a proposal to put $458,000 in proceeds from the local cannabis tax, which voters approved in April, toward the city’s Aim4Peace initiative, which works with local communities and survivors of violent crime. All told, the city estimates it should make roughly $3 million each year from legal sales after the tax takes effect next month. Some cannabis consumers told local CBS affiliate KCTV that they’re happy with the use…

A key Senate committee has officially scheduled a vote on a bipartisan marijuana banking bill, signaling that disagreements between certain Democrats and Republicans over key provisions have been addressed. The Senate Banking Committee formally released a schedule on Friday showing members will hold a markup of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act on Wednesday, September 27—a critical step on the measure’s path to the floor. This comes a day after media reports began citing sources who disclosed plans to hold a markup on the last week of September, though there was some ambiguity about the exact date until…

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun issuing formal certificates to individuals whose convictions for marijuana possession were covered under President Joe Biden’s (D) mass cannabis pardon last October. The documents are intended to allow people to demonstrate that they were granted clemency, which could help avoid obstacles to housing, employment, education and child custody caused by a federal criminal conviction. Although neither DOJ nor the Office of the Pardon Attorney has announced the issuance of the certificates, at least some applicants have now received the documents in digital form. One recipient, Kevin B. Gilnack, posted an image of his…

The Senate Banking Committee is planning to vote on a bipartisan marijuana banking bill during the last week of September, a Senate source familiar with the discussions confirmed to Marijuana Moment on Friday. The tentative date of the committee vote on the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act is now September 27 after senators reached an agreement on the legislation, according to multiple media reports. That date hasn’t been officially announced yet, so it may change—but the expectation is that it will take place during the week of September 25, the Senate source said. It’s unclear how the bill…

California lawmakers have sent the governor a bill that would prohibit employers from asking job applicants about prior marijuana use. One day after the Assembly passed an amended version of the Senate bill, the originating chamber on Thursday signed off on those changes in a vote of 30-8. It now heads to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). When employers ask applicants about past marijuana use, it “not only dissuades candidates from applying for these positions but also leads to situations in which individuals respond dishonestly to get the job,” Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D) said during on the floor…

Maryland officials have announced details of a technical assistance program to support marijuana social equity applicants for a business licensing round that opens in November. The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) and Office of Social Equity (OSE) said on Thursday that people who plan to apply for an equity license will be able to attend informational sessions led by regulators and experts to navigate the process ahead of the 30-day application period. Those sessions, which will take place at events throughout the state starting in October, will look at issues such as business formation, partnership agreements, finances and taxes and raising…