A Republican on the House Judiciary Committee said Republicans would oppose the bill and that “it is even less likely that the Senate would take it up.” The campaign to decriminalize marijuana overcame a historic congressional hurdle this week, but opponents and some supporters acknowledge the legislation faces serious obstacles. The House Judiciary Committee on […]
Federal legalization
Federal Marijuana Legalization Is Close, Suggests Canopy-Acreage Deal
Sometimes it is necessary to read between the lines. So, when the largest cannabis company in the world enters into a multi-billion dollar deal with a well-known American cannabis firm — one that is set to take effect only after the federal government repeals marijuana prohibition — it is hard not to consider the possibility […]
The 2018 Farm Bill – What it Means for Hemp Farmers’ Tax Bill
CPA Covers The Income Tax Implications for Hemp Farms after the new 2018 Farm Bill The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) has officially been signed into law. One of the major components of this legislation of industrial hemp. This blog post will mainly focus on what the tax implications of this legalization and […]
A Toxicologist’s Look at Cannabis vs. Alcohol: Why the US Government is Focusing on the Wrong Recreational Drug
Sometimes we observe a car wreck and rubber neck our way until it is out of our sight. I had that feeling during the hearings for Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh. As I listened to the testimony, it surfaced repeatedly that the incidents in question revolved around heavy drinking. The presumed assault was not committed by […]
Why You Don’t Want Cannabis Rescheduled
As everybody already knows, cannabis is still federally illegal, but a growing number of states have made their stance clear on the subject. Recently, many state representatives have been evaluating every possible angle to create a program that won’t get interfered with by the federal government, especially in light of the recent comments coming out […]
Policy Group of Prosecutors Release Position Paper
The National District Attorney’s Association (NDAA), the organization that “serves as the voice of America’s prosecutors and strives to support their efforts to protect the rights and safety of the people in their communities”, created a policy group of 14 district attorneys on January 20 to advise on law and policy changes. The group just […]
Federal Cannabis Shenanigans
By Matt Walstatter The election of 2016 should have given cannabis proponents great cause to celebrate. Initiatives legalizing recreational cannabis prevailed in four of the five states where they were on the ballot. Medical cannabis triumphed in all four states where it was contested. But this landslide at the state level was overshadowed by the […]
Marijuana Is Still Not Listed in Annual Crop Reports
SALEM, Ore. — Sales and tax figures collected by state agencies may finally solve one of Oregon’s long-running farm crop questions: whether marijuana is indeed the state’s most valuable crop, as cannabis advocates have always maintained. Tight controls and reporting requirements by the Oregon Department of Revenue and Oregon Liquor Control Commission should result in […]
Is Congress Slowly and Quietly Chipping Way at the Federal Ban on Marijuana?
Don’t break out the bong just yet, but Congress is quietly chipping away at the federal ban on marijuana. It’s not happening with a sweeping national law, but through modest provisions slipped into spending bills in recent weeks. For example: Bills funding the Veterans Affairs Department have a line that lifts a prohibition on medical […]
Group of Senators ask DEA and Justice Dept. For Update on Status of Cannabis Classification
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has signed on to a letter asking the U.S. Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration for an update on the agencies’ decision about whether they plan to change marijuana’s classification at the federal level. Marijuana is currently classified as a “Schedule I” drug under the Controlled Substances Act. The classification […]
Effort to Open Banking System to Legal Marijuana Industry Stalls in Congress
Failing in an effort to match the success of their Senate counterparts, House members on Tuesday watched as Republicans killed a budget amendment that would have prevented federal regulators from penalizing financial institutions that worked with legitimate marijuana businesses. Though a Senate committee last week passed a similar amendment,House Republicans in the Rules Committee blocked […]
Jesse Ventura: It’s in Our Best Interest to Make Cannabis Legal For Every American
There are many legal activities we can partake in that aren’t exactly healthy decisions, but our government has no say in how frequently we do them or if we’re doing them to excess. For instance, as Americans, we can buy and consume as much alcohol as we want, we can smoke as many cigarettes as […]
Yes, 25 States Now Consider Marijuana “Medicine,” So Why Doesn’t the DEA?
John Kasich signed Ohio’s medical marijuana bill into law yesterday, making it the 25th state (26 counting Washington, D.C.) to allow some form of medical marijuana use. Ohio’s measure is more restrictive than medical marijuana bills in many other states. It does not allow patients to smoke marijuana — they must ingest it orally via […]
Salt Lake Deseret News Calls For Change in Federal Marijuana Classification
In the not-too-distant past, we would have considered it unwise, and perhaps even dangerous, to change the federal classification of marijuana from a schedule 1 to a schedule 2 drug. But that was before 24 states and the District of Columbia passed laws legalizing the drug either for medicinal or recreational uses. The fact is, […]
Here’s Why MassRoots Got Rejected by the NASDAQ
This week, MassRoots Inc. (MSRT), one of the biggest and fastest expanding technology platforms for the marijuana industry, received notification that NASDAQ had denied the Company’s application for listing. MassRoots, which launched in 2013, models itself as a Facebook for cannabis users. It also allows weed in its workplace. The Company filed for an up listing from […]
NASDAQ Rejects MassRoots Bid to List Itself on the Exchange
MassRoots, which operates a social network for marijuana enthusiasts, is crying foul over Nasdaq’s decision to reject its request to sell stock on its exchange. Nasdaq cited concerns that law enforcement could consider the company as aiding and abetting the distribution of an illegal substance. The Denver-based company plans to appeal the decision to the […]
The Paradox at the Heart of Our Marijuana Laws – and How to Fix It
As Congress and the Drug Enforcement Administration weigh whether marijuana should be rescheduled, public faith in the drug classification system continues to erode. Debate rages between those who emphasize the strangeness of marijuana being on the highly restrictive Schedule I alongside far more harmful drugs like heroin, and those who emphasize how strange it would […]
Breakthrough? Marijuana Advocates Finally Get a White House Meeting
A member of the Obama administration will meet with representatives of the marijuana advocacy community on Monday in what is being billed as a groundbreaking gathering. DCMJ, an organization created in 2013 that has advocated for the legalization of marijuana in the District of Columbia, says it was extended a tete-a-tete with a representative of […]
