Federal Policy

At least six financial institutions are currently serving Massachusetts-based cannabusinesses — double the number from just three years ago.

A House proposal introduced last week aims to protect the gun rights of cannabis consumers in states with legal cannabis access.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the SAFE Banking Act in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 321-101 vote. The bill moves next to the Senate.

Lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate have proposed bipartisan legislation to federally legalize medical cannabis for combat veterans.

Dr. Jason Pirozzolo — a Florida hand surgeon and founder of The American Medical Marijuana Physician Association — has been linked to an ongoing federal investigation into sex trafficking allegations against Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R).

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) has reintroduced the Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan, his proposal to raise the federal THC limit for hemp products to 1 percent.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters Wednesday that legislation to end the federal prohibition of cannabis is coming soon.

Bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House and Senate seeks to guarantee insurance services for all businesses working in or adjacent to the cannabis industry.

The SAFE Banking Act has been reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill was first passed 18 months ago with immense bipartisan support but never appeared in the Republican-controlled Senate.

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.