Newsletter
House passes cannabis banking bill with strong vote (Newsletter: September 26, 2019)
Hoyer: descheduling is next; Northeast govs to coordinate legal marijuana plans next month; PA gov backs legalization; Hemp insurance challenges
Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.
Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…
There are now 1,199 cannabis-related bills moving through state legislatures and Congress for 2019 sessions.
Never let a marijuana bill catch you by surprise with exclusive access to Marijuana Moment’s custom-built cannabis legislation tracker for just $25/month.
- Michael J. Schreffler: “I just wanted to say thank you for keeping me and everyone else informed on cannabis issues. I am extremely pleased that you you cover such a wide view from federal reform to state policies and internationally.”
https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The House of Representatives passed a marijuana banking bill by a vote of 321 to 103, marking the first time a chamber of Congress has approved standalone cannabis reform legislation.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said that now that the House has passed a cannabis banking bill it needs to go much further.
- “This must be a first step toward the decriminalization and de-scheduling of marijuana.”
Dozens of lawmakers and advocates reacted to the historic House passage of the marijuana banking bill, with everyone from Nancy Pelosi to John Boehner weighing in.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) announced they will meet with other regional governors next month to coordinate marijuana legalization plans.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) announced that he now supports marijuana legalization following a tour the lieutenant governor did of all 67 counties at which residents expressed overwhelming support for cannabis reform. He’s calling on lawmakers to act, including by immediately passing incremental legislation to decriminalize marijuana and expunge past records.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture official and leaders of the House Committee on Agriculture discussed the challenges of providing crop insurance for hemp at a hearing.
/ FEDERAL
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a presidential candidate, pledged to end the war on drugs and legalize marijuana at an Iowa event.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said the Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) is considering changes to a cannabis banking bill such as measures to study rising potency.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said, “I think you can be against marijuana and still understand that if it’s going to be a legalized product, we need to be able to control it through our banking system.”
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) tweeted about racial disparities in marijuana arrests, saying, “This. Is. Unjust. Marijuana has been used as an excuse to target communities of color for far too long. It’s time to bring that to an end.”
Former Rep. Carlo Curbelo (R-FL) authored a Cannabis Trade Federation email action alert about the marijuana banking bill.
The House bill to deschedule marijuana and fund programs to repair the damage of the drug war got one new cosponsor for a total of 43.
/ STATES
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced grants totaling $28.5 million funded with marijuana tax revenue that will be used to repair the harms of the war on drugs through job placement, mental health and substance use disorder treatment and legal services, among other programs.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) tweeted, “This is really about helping those who are struggling with chronic pain or debilitating illness by providing an alternative treatment option. It’s long past time to listen to the will of the people who overwhelmingly support medical marijuana legalization.”
The North Dakota legislature’s interim Judiciary Committee held a hearing on marijuana legalization.
The Washington, D.C. Council Labor & Workforce Development Committee held a hearing on marijuana employment protection legislation.
Washington State fiscal officials said they expect marijuana tax revenue growth to level off.
Connecticut regulators sent an alert about the theft of hemp plants from farms.
Michigan regulators released tips on how medical cannabis business licensees can apply for adult-use marijuana licenses.
Massachusetts’s top marijuana regulator said that ensuring equity in the cannabis industry is the hardest part of his job.
—
Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
/ LOCAL
The Kansas City, Missouri City Council took public testimony on a marijuana decriminalization proposal.
New York City’s City Council speaker tweeted, “We need full legalization of marijuana in New York and restorative justice for the communities who have been harmed by decades of criminalization.”
/ INTERNATIONAL
Australia’s federal government is considering challenging a new local marijuana legalization law.
A Colombian marijuana legalization bill cleared its first hurdle in the House of Representatives.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
Research showed that “CBD was well tolerated in the majority of our cohort of [neuronal ceroidlipofuscinoses] patients and the parents reported a positive efficacy.
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board is raising concerns that Missouri’s legalization of medical cannabis could be a slippery slope to lax opioid prescribing by doctors.
The National Association of Cannabis Businesses proposed new national standards for marijuana-infused products.
Kevin Sabet of prohibitionist group Smart Approaches to Marijuana sought to dismiss cannabis legalization’s political popularity in an interview.
The UK’s National Farming Union said that hemp-derived construction components could help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
/ BUSINESS
A Washington State police officer is suing Canna Brand Solutions, Conscious Cannabis, Rainbow’s Aloft, LeafWerx, MFused and Jane’s Garden for allegedly being responsible for a lung illness he says was caused by marijuana vaping products.
The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists is hosting a cannabis and media workshop on October 2.
/ CULTURE
Tommy Chong said people should smoke marijuana instead of vape it.
Musician Liam Gallagher suggested that there would be less violence if more people took psychedelic mushrooms.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
