Author: News Room

A federal agency is proposing to replace a series of job application forms for prospective workers in a way that would treat past marijuana use much more leniently than under current policy, a draft document obtained by Marijuana Moment shows. One of the most significant changes concerns the timeline for the cannabis use questions, which would be revised such that a person would only be asked about consumption that occurred within the past 90 days, unless they used while working in a criminal justice, public safety or national security position. In those cases, the forms would ask about use that…

Washington, D.C. lawmakers have advanced an amended bill to fundamentally reshape the District’s medical marijuana program—including by eliminating cannabis business licensing caps, providing tax relief to operators, further promoting social equity and creating new regulated business categories such as on-site consumption facilities and cannabis cooking classes. The District Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development approved the legislation—which would also codify that adults can self-certify as medical marijuana patients—on Tuesday. This comes about a month after an earlier version cleared a different panel. The main components of the bill, which is being carried by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) on…

A major national banking association, along with 44 state partners, is asking Senate leadership to bring a House-passed marijuana banking reform bill to a vote on the floor “without further delay.” In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Monday, the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) asked for urgent consideration of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, before the end of the year. “The SAFE Banking Act is essential for the ongoing ability of community banks to effectively serve their communities,” the letter says. “The Act would…

“Reefer Man” – Cab Calloway Originally titled “Have You Ever Met That Funny Reefer Man,” this song was written in 1932 by J. Russel Robinson, with lyrics by Andy Razaf, and recorded by Cab Calloway. As the song was written five years before the Marihuana Tax Act—reefer was still legal in almost all of America at the time. It was first recorded by Calloway, with several popular covers, including one by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Calloway lived a long life—long enough to appear in the 1980 Saturday Night Live-inspired film The Blues Brothers. “You’se A Viper” – Stuff Smith In…

About three in four American voters—including bipartisan majorities—support ending federal marijuana prohibition, expunging prior convictions and allowing banks to work with state-legal cannabis businesses, according to a new poll. The survey from Data for Progress that was released on Monday builds on recent polling that similarly shows that Americans are ready for fundamental cannabis policy changes. NEW POLL: Voters support ending the federal ban on marijuana by a +50-point margin. This includes 81% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 65% of Republicans. https://t.co/p8SAcYFStn — Data for Progress (@DataProgress) November 29, 2022 It found that 74 percent of likely voters back…

“We will follow the will of the voters and will be appointing a 15 member advisory board to oversee the regulatory process around this new voter-approved measure.” By Lindsey Toomer, Colorado Newsline Now that Colorado voters passed the Natural Medicine Health Act, the state has several steps to get through before Colorado will actually see a regulated industry for psychedelic mushrooms. The measure allows for licensed “healing centers” to provide access to psilocybin and psilocyn, the psychoactive compounds found in many species of fungi, for therapeutic purposes. It also legalizes the “personal use” of the substances, allowing people to possess…

“Employers tell me constantly, we’ve got jobs going wanting, we can’t get the workers because they can’t pass a drug screening and various other things.” By Rachel Mipro, Kansas Reflector Kansas lawmakers said marijuana legalization, political stances and state funding were potential roadblocks in addressing the state’s severe workforce shortage. Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana, said the Special Committee on Workforce Development needed to talk about marijuana legalization before lawmakers discussed it during the upcoming legislative session. Lawmakers passed a motion to make a recommendation that the legislature “proceed with caution” with marijuana legislation during the Monday committee hearing, by a…

Young people are now more than twice as likely to report smoking marijuana compared to cigarettes, according to a new analysis of survey data from Gallup. Past-week cigarette smoking by adults 18-29 declined from 15 percent in 2016-2018 to a new low of 12 percent in 2019-2022. Via Gallup. Meanwhile, 26 percent of adults in that age group now say that they smoke cannabis, compared to 21 percent in the earlier survey period. Via Gallup. Overall, the 2019-2022 data shows that 27 percent of Americans smoke cigarettes, marijuana or e-cigarettes. Gallup found that seven percent smoke cannabis alone, nine percent…

Texas officials in several cities have moved to overturn or undercut local marijuana decriminalization ordinances that voters overwhelmingly approved at the ballot this month—but activists aren’t going down without a fight. Five cities passed the decriminalization ballot measures with strong margins on November 8, but city councils and officials in at least three of those localities are facing criticism from advocates over their attempts to undermine the reforms. In Harker Heights, for example, the city council voted last week to repeal the ordinance altogether. Ground Game Texas, the campaign that spearheaded the decriminalization ordinances, says it is planning to collect…

The presidents of Colombia and Mexico announced that they will be bringing together other Latin American leaders for an international conference focused on on “redesigning and rethinking drug policy” given the “failure” of prohibition. As lawmakers in both countries work to advance marijuana legalization, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in a joint statement on Friday that they recently met to discuss “geopolitical, commercial, cultural and development cooperation” in their bilateral relationship. Part of that effort will involve collaborating with the broader international community to forge a new path on the drug policy front—a…