Next week, the two key committees will hold hearings on various aspects of federal marijuana policy.
Author: Justin Strekal, Former NORML Political Director
In a change of trajectory, the powerful Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives has for the first time included limited protections for cannabis businesses engaged in the legal marketplaces in 33 states.
The Oregon Justice League does not believe the State of Oregon has implemented Measure 91 in the spirit under which the law was passed. The OJL seeks to right these wrongs as well as provide a model for other states to implement a more just version of cannabis legalization.
In the House, Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) has reintroduced H.R. 1647, the Veterans Equal Access Act, which expands medical cannabis access to eligible military veterans.
This week, the Minority Cannabis Business Association unveiled their Municipal Ordinance model on how localities can administer new business licenses in a fashion that promote minority entrepreneurs and ensure that the emerging industry will not be dominated by a flood on new investors who have not been harmed by the consequences of prohibition.
A bipartisan coalition of more than 100 co-sponsors has reintroduced legislation in Congress, The Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act (SAFE Banking Act), HR 1595, to allow state-licensed marijuana-related businesses to engage freely in relationships with banks and other financial institutions.
As the tentacles of the federal policy of cannabis prohibition run deep into nearly every sector of American public policy, a new voice emerged to call for clarity regarding state-legal cannabis marketplaces: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
When asked about the likelihood of the league changing its policies on the use of medical marijuana, Goodell answered, “We rely on our medical advisors to give us advice. They look at this constantly, they look at the data, they look at the science and they make those recommendations to us on that basis.”