Members of the House of Representatives voted 321 to 103 in favor, representing 79% of the vote of HR 1595: The SAFE Banking Act, which amends federal law so that explicitly banks and other financial institutions may work directly with state-legal marijuana businesses.
Category: legalization
Illinois: Clemency Available for 0 to 30 Grams, Expungement Available for Convictions of 30 to 500 Grams
Illinois has an estimated 770,000 marijuana related criminal records which are now eligible for clemency by Governor Pritzker.
Washington, DC: Mayor Signs Order Expanding Workplace Protections for Cannabis Consumers
Commenting on the policy change, NORML Political Associate Tyler McFadden said: “Employment protections are critical to ensure that law-abiding adults are not unduly discriminated against in their efforts to be productive members of society solely because of their use of cannabis while off the job. This order provides clarity and guidance to employers and peace of mind to the employees who work in the District of Columbia.”
Report: Domestic Hemp Production Soaring in 2019
According to the report, “The number of acres of hemp licensed across 34 states totaled 511,442 in 2019 – more than quadruple the number of acres licensed from the previous year.”
POTUS: Feds “Allowing States” to Choose Legalization
Reacting to the President’s comments, NORML’s Political Director Justin Strekal said, “The reiteration of a non-enforcement policy from the president is a clear sign that states should continue to defy the federal government when it comes to marijuana prohibition.”
Study: Cannabis Retailers Associated with Drop in Localized Crime
“Our results are consistent with theories that predict that marijuana legalization will displace illicit criminal organizations and decrease crime through changes in security behaviors or substitution toward more harmful substances.”
Surgeon General’s Advisory Highlights Need for Further Cannabis Regulation, Not Criminalization
“Our current model of federal prohibition represents the utter lack of control over any aspect of marijuana or the marijuana market. The Surgeon General’s time would be better spent advocating for a legally and tightly regulated cannabis market – one in which we educate Americans about the potential harms and benefits of cannabis through evidence-based public education campaigns – rather than through fear-mongering.”
What Is the MORE Act, and How Could It Change Marijuana Policy Forever?
The MORE Act, which was introduced to the US Congress last month, would completely decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. How will it work, and what will it do for cannabis consumers, pot convicts, and the burgeoning gray-market industry?
Historic: Judiciary Committee Chairman Introduces Bill To End Federal Marijuana Prohibition
Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (NY) introduced The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act.
DEA Report: Fewer Marijuana Seizures, But More Arrests In 2018
Federal agents seized fewer total marijuana plants in 2018, but made more arrests for cannabis-related offenses, according to annual data compiled by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.