Federal Policy

As lawmakers mull the legalization of cannabis, the idea of THC caps for cannabis products is gaining steam in legislative circles at both the state and federal levels.

Federal regulators have issued their final orders against CBD brands targeted in last year’s “Operation CBDeceit” crackdown.

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said during a recent House subcommittee hearing that the agency would prefer if cannabis industry tax payments were not paid in cash.

Merrick Garland, President Biden’s pick for the new U.S. Attorney General, signaled a likely shift in federal law enforcement’s approach to state-legal cannabis markets.

The National Labor Relations Board ruled that, under federal restrictions, most cannabis industry workers cannot form unions because they are considered agricultural workers.

Kathleen Sebelius, the former Health and Human Services secretary for the Obama Administration, has joined the National Cannabis Roundtable.

A coalition of multi-state operators, tech firms, investor groups, and cannabis advocacy groups announced the formation of the U.S. Cannabis Council, an organization that will push for the federal descheduling and legalization of cannabis.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sens. Cory Booker and Ron Wyden have announced the forming of a Senate coalition dedicated to legalizing cannabis at the federal level.

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice to end its use of private prisons.

The USDA has raised the limit for hemp THC levels that trigger a crop’s eradication from 0.5% to 1% THC.

After more than a year of campaigning, we can be pretty sure where President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris stand on the cannabis issue — but what about other members of the incoming Biden Administration?

Following narrow victories by Georgia’s two Democratic candidates for the Senate during this week’s runoff election, Democrats are expected to take control of the U.S. Senate in 2021, opening up the MORE Act and other federal cannabis bills to a vote.

Between multiple state legalization wins and the election of a hesitantly pro-reform presidential candidate, the 2020 election solidified a stronger future for the US cannabis industry.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has introduced a federal bill aimed at boosting the US hemp industry. The proposal would raise the THC threshold from 0.3% to 1% and would require hemp-derived products to be tested post-production, not before.

The U.S. Senate has approved a bill that would expedite the process of getting DEA approval to possess cannabis for research purposes. The House passed similar legislation last week.

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that would make cannabis research easier in states with legal markets.

The U.S. House has voted in favor of the MORE Act, a landmark legalization bill that would end the federal prohibition of cannabis.

The House Rules Committee voted yesterday to advance the MORE Act — which would end the federal prohibition of cannabis — positioning the landmark bill for a full floor vote later this week. If passed, the legislation is all but guaranteed to fail in the GOP-controlled Senate.

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives will vote next week on the MORE Act, which aims to federally deschedule cannabis and expunge prior cannabis convictions.

The U.S. House is set to vote on the MORE Act, which would decriminalize cannabis at the federal level and expunge convictions for non-violent cannabis crimes, after delaying the vote in September to focus on coronavirus relief.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a high-profile cannabis case that challenged the constitutionality of federal cannabis prohibition. Advocates behind the case said they were disappointed, but not surprised.

Federal lawmakers have introduced a measure that would give the cannabis industry access to federal disaster relief programs after wildfires in the west destroyed multiple cannabis farms.

Arizona medical cannabis patient Nathan Freddy was charged with possession after a Bureau of Land Management ranger smelled cannabis in his pack while he was hiking on federal land.

House Democrats say they will delay their vote on the MORE Act, which would federally legalize cannabis, in order to focus on the coronavirus pandemic relief bill.