Author: News Room

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says lawmakers are “making good progress” in bipartisan negotiations on a marijuana banking bill, and advancing it will be a priority for what he’s expecting to be a “very, very productive fall in the Senate.” At a press conference focused on the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Thursday, Schumer previewed his plans for the fall after lawmakers come back from an August recess, proactively mentioning the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act twice in a list of issues that top lawmakers are working on. “We’re making good progress on…

Minnesota Republican lawmakers are asking the governor and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate to convene a “narrowly tailored special session” to address what they view as unintended consequences of a marijuana legalization law that takes effect on Tuesday, citing concerns about policies on underage possession and public consumption. In a letter sent to Gov. Tim Walz (D), Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic (D) and House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) on Friday, 20 GOP lawmakers said that they were deeply concerned about recent reporting suggesting that the cannabis law “effectively legalized marijuana for children.” “Legal consequences are a significant…

Bipartisan leaders of key House and Senate committees are soliciting information from experts about best practices for developing a regulatory framework for CBD. As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues face pressure to create rules so that the hemp-derived cannabinoid can be lawfully marketed as food items or dietary supplements, bipartisan lawmakers have put out a Request for Information (RFI) to gather relevant information from subject matter experts. The chairs and ranking members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and House Energy & Commerce Committee are leading the effort, inviting people to weigh in on…

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers are cheering the passage of marijuana and psychedelics amendments that were included in a spending bill that was approved by the House of Representatives on Thursday. While not every drug policy reform amendment that lawmakers proposed made it in the final legislation covering Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MilCon/VA), two key measures did advance. One would allow U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors to issue medical cannabis recommendations to veterans, and the other would encourage research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. “This is a win for our bipartisan efforts to make it easier…

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a Republican 2024 presidential candidate, has appointed six new members to his state’s Drug Policy Advisory Council—and it includes an eclectic mix of stakeholders, like a sheriff who campaigned against a medical cannabis ballot initiative that voters approved and another sheriff who supports marijuana decriminalization. The panel also features yet another sheriff who went viral for warning heroin sellers while wearing a ski mask and a pastor who thinks his fellow Southern Baptists should “take a breath and not make” moderate use of alcohol “an issue.” The governor appointed six members to the advisory council…

“Hemp in the Modern World: The Years Long Wait for FDA Action,” this week’s congressional hearing in the U.S. Congress, will do little to change the arc of things for the CBD sector. The hearing, which ran to roughly 90 minutes yesterday, served mostly as an opportunity for lawmakers to bellow, however softly, in the manner typical of politicians these days. “Softly” because hemp, in its short modern-era history, has always been a bipartisan issue. Flashpoints But because there must be disagreement, the Republicans, who chaired the hearing, criticized the FDA and said the agency needs to get on with…

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers in both chambers have filed resolutions condemning Russia for incarcerating a U.S. citizen over possession of medical marijuana that he obtained as a registered patient in Pennsylvania and used an an opioid alternative to treat pain. The legislation also calls on President Joe Biden’s federal government to step up efforts to secure his release. The resolution says the 14-year sentence that Marc Fogel received after being convicted of “drug smuggling” over possession of a half-ounce of cannabis is politically motivated and disproportionate, especially when taking into account the fact that he was using marijuana for medical purposes…

Bipartisan lawmakers in Congress have filed 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. Rep. Jamin Raskin (D-MD) introduced the legislation—titled the “Cannabis Users’ Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act”—on Thursday, months after first previewing plans to advance the reform. It’s being cosponsored by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who signaled her interest in partnering with Raskin at a House Oversight subcommittee hearing last year when the congressman announced his intent to act on the issue. The bill says…

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says that work continues to pass a bipartisan marijuana banking bill, and another Democratic senator is urging voters to keep up the pressure as lawmakers head back to their districts for the summer. But despite their optimism, a key committee chairman and the measure’s Republican top sponsor are still stuck in an intractable blame game. Action on the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act is on hold for at least a month as Congress breaks for the August recess—a disappointment for advocates and stakeholders who had hoped that the bill would advance during…

A first-of-its-kind congressional committee hearing is taking place on Thursday to examine the impacts of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inaction on developing regulations to allow for the sale of hemp-derived CBD as food items or dietary supplements. The House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services announced the scheduling of the hearing—titled “Hemp in the Modern World: The Years long Wait for FDA Action”—last week. Watch the committee hearing on FDA and CBD live in the video below:  Rep. James Comer (R-KY), who chairs the full Oversight Committee, has sharply criticized FDA after the agency announced…