Federal Policy

Democratic leaders in the House intend for a full floor vote on the SAFE Banking Act by the end of September; lawmakers in the Senate, meanwhile, could likewise consider the bill — or their own version of the bill — by the year’s end.

A recent projection by Prohibition Partners suggests that North America’s legal cannabis industry may be worth an annual $47.3 billion by 2024.

Federal health officials are launching a public awareness campaign about the dangers of cannabis use; the effort is funded by President Trump, who reportedly donated his full second-quarter salary of $100,000 to the effort.

Hemp farmers can file for federal crop insurance under a new directive from the United States Department of Agriculture.

The DEA has announced an expansion of medical cannabis research options and a change in policy: hemp cultivators no longer need to register with the agency in light of the crop’s federal legalization.

Dr. Sue Sisley of the Scottsdale Research Institute is suing the DEA over hurdles to cannabis research — specifically, that government-sourced cannabis is nothing like the products being used en masse throughout legal states.

With hemp legalization having spurred many prosecutors to turn away from cannabis cases, the U.S. Attorney for Florida’s Northern District says he will take over the prosecution of cannabis-related cases.

The National Credit Union Administration says that credit unions are free to serve hemp businesses now that the crop has been federally legalized.

During a campaign rally last week, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said that he would issue a mass pardon for federal nonviolent cannabis offenses if he is elected president.

The American Bar Association has called on the federal government to allow state-approved cannabis programs to operate without worrying about federal interference.

Bernie Sanders said in an interview this week that, if he is elected to be the next U.S. president, he would legalize cannabis nationwide via executive order.

A new proposal in the U.S. Senate would lift federal restrictions on cannabis research and direct multiple federal agencies to develop a cannabis research agenda.

Federal officials say that Utah’s medical cannabis plan — which some had worried would jeopardize the state’s federal funding — can move forward.

Massachusetts regulators have warned residents and tourists against bringing cannabis out to sea, and into other federal waterways, despite the plant being legalized in the state.

With $1.6 million already spent this year, the cannabis industry’s 2019 Capitol Hill lobbying efforts on are on pace to break the record set last year at $2.7 million.

Lawmakers yesterday held the first Senate committee hearing to be aimed at addressing banking challenges for the cannabis industry; the hearing included arguments from financial institution representatives, state-legal cannabis professionals, and elected officials from states with reformed cannabis laws.

As part of a bipartisan effort in the U.S. Senate, New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez has proposed a bill aiming to open up business insurance opportunities for state-legal cannabis companies.

Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler and Sen. Kamala Harris are introducing a federal cannabis reform bill called the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act to both decriminalize cannabis and set up the expungement of prior cannabis convictions.

The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs has scheduled a hearing to consider the SAFE Banking Act despite hints from the Republican committee chair in April that such a hearing was unlikely.

FDA officials say they will rush the release of federal CBD rules and regulations, potentially by the end of summer or early fall.

Federal lawmakers yesterday hosted the first-ever bipartisan hearing to recognize and address the racial disparity in cannabis laws and enforcement actions. During the hearing, members from both parties pushed for the end of prohibition.

Federal lawmakers from Oregon have introduced legislation to allow the state’s recently passed interstate cannabis commerce legislation to move forward; part of said state law requires federal permission before cannabis products can start shipping across state borders.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has signed into law several cannabis policy updates, including a bill allowing the state to export cannabis products to other states with cannabis programs.

The House of Representatives has approved a federal spending bill amendment that would block the Department of Justice from interfering in state-legal cannabis programs. The rider must now be approved by the Senate before it can take effect.