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 […]
US Congress
‘H.R. 420’ is a proposed bill that would regulate marijuana like alcohol
A bill introduced in Congress this week that seeks to regulate marijuana like alcohol has been numbered “H.R. 420,” a name the bill’s sponsor has called a “tongue-in-cheek” reference to cannabis. A press release from U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer — a Democrat from Oregon who is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus — […]
Congress just quietly passed a law that could spark a boom for the $1 billion marijuana-linked CBD industry
This week, a plant that’s nearly identical to marijuana is set to become legal to grow in the US. Thanks to the US Farm Bill, which the House passed on Wednesday in a 369 to 47 vote, American farmers will be able to plant and harvest hemp, a strain of the same plant species from […]
Congress is going to make marijuana moves
Despite majority public support in favor of marijuana legalization, and super-majority support in favor of medical cannabis access, members of Congress have nonetheless been reticent to move forward with any significant changes to federal pot policy. That is, until now. Following last week’s midterm election results, legislative leaders in both the House and Senate appear […]
Marijuana Bill Approved By Congressional Committee, Despite Drug Conviction Restriction Dispute
A powerful U.S. House panel that oversees federal drug enforcement efforts approved a bill on Thursday to require the Department of Justice and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to begin issuing more licenses to grow marijuana for research. Prior to the vote, a bitter dispute broke out over a provision of the legislation that prevents anyone with a “conviction […]
Congress Allocates $0 Towards Medical Marijuana Crackdown in New Budget Bill
WASHINGTON ― Congress, once again, is blocking the Justice Department from spending any money that interferes with state medical marijuana laws. In their newly unveiled budget bill, lawmakers included a provision, known as the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, that allows states to carry on with crafting their own medical marijuana policies without fear of federal intervention. The bill, […]
Congressional Cannabis
In my last column, I reviewed the Trump administration’s treatment of cannabis. I would love to say that we discussed the administration’s cannabis policy, but that would imply that such a policy exists. What we saw instead was an incoherent assortment of contradictory statements from various members of the administration—not really a policy by any […]
