Federal Policy

A bipartisan federal proposal seeks to open the door for individuals with drug convictions to obtain a hemp license.

A top U.S. intelligence officer recently reaffirmed the federal government does not deny security clearances for employees based on their past cannabis use.

Individuals affected by the sweeping federal cannabis pardons announced by President Biden last year can now apply to receive a certificate proving that they received the pardon.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs advanced a bill this week mandating investigations into the effectiveness of medical cannabis as a treatment for PTSD and chronic pain.

A federal judge ruled last week that the federal ban on people who use cannabis from owning or possessing firearms is unconstitutional.

U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) has introduced a proposal to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.

The FDA released its proposed final guidance for research related to developing drugs containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds.

Language to expand cannabis banking and expungement was ultimately excluded from the annual federal spending bill following GOP pushback, and Congress will continue to block the full implementation of Washington D.C.’s voter-approved cannabis reforms.

The Senate has walked back plans to include bipartisan cannabis banking reforms in the annual national defense bill following an outcry by GOP lawmakers.

The PREPARE Act, the latest cannabis proposal in Congress, would prepare the U.S. for the likely end of cannabis prohibition by directing officials to workshop a framework for federal cannabis regulations.

Top Senate Democrats are reportedly set to attach language from the SAFE Banking Act that would normalize the cannabis industry’s access to banking services to a “must-pass” end-of-year bill like the annual National Defense Authorization Act.

President Joe Biden signed the nation’s first standalone cannabis reforms bill last week, paving the way for researchers to more easily investigate the plant’s medicinal properties.

A bipartisan proposal by Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rand Paul (R-KY) would improve research opportunities for psychedelics by rescheduling any drugs given a “breakthrough therapy” designation by the FDA.

A federal lawsuit filed by an Oregon firm seeks to dispute the constitutionality of state laws prohibiting cannabis exports and imports between legalized states.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and other plaintiffs have filed an appeal after the dismissal of a previous lawsuit over medical cannabis patients’ right to access firearms.

The Senate passed a House-approved medical cannabis research bill yesterday, making it the first standalone cannabis reforms bill ever delivered to the president’s desk.

A cohort of U.S. representatives sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to consider pardons of simple cannabis possession convictions for immigrants.

A new Gallup poll found a record high of 68% of U.S. voters support federally legalizing adult-use cannabis.

A mom in Texas is in the process of being evicted from her federally-funded housing due to the possession and consumption of state-legal medical cannabis.

Cannabis is the sixth-most valuable crop in the U.S., according to the 2022 Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report.

A new survey found that 71% of Americans think adult-use cannabis legalization improves states’ economies.

Legal cannabis might be this century’s largest and most lucrative new industry but without the government subsidies afforded to other industries that center agriculture, energy, and transportation, the cannabis industry is poised for an extinction event of small businesses.

During a Monday appearance on ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers,’ Vice President Kamala Harris (D) said no one should be sent to jail for smoking cannabis. The statement came the week after President Biden issued federal pardons for cannabis possession.

U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is already working with the FDA to review cannabis’ federal scheduling status as directed by President Biden during his pardoning announcement last week.