Author Archives: ushempmuseum
Tennessee: Hemp Production Measure Signed Into Law
Legislation, HB 2032, permitting the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp has become law. The measure permits for the licensed cultivation of industrial hemp when “grown by an institution of higher education in this state that offers a baccalaureate or post-graduate level program of study in agricultural sciences.” Over 20 states have enacted similar legislation, … Continue reading
Congress Votes To Permit Military Veterans Access To Medical Cannabis
Members of the US House of Representatives voted today for the first time to expand military veterans’ access to medicinal cannabis in states that allow it. Members voted 233 to 189 in favor of the Veterans Equal Access Amendment, offered by Rep. Blumenauer (D-OR) to the Fiscal Year 2017 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related … Continue reading
West Virginia: Lawmakers Fail To Act On Marijuana Decriminalization Measure During Special Session
Lawmakers failed to consider legislation that was introduced during this legislative season’s special session to decriminalize the possession and cultivation of limited quantities of marijuana in West Virginia. House Bill 114 sought to permit the personal use, growth and possession of up to two ounces of marijuana by persons over the age of twenty-one who … Continue reading
Illinois: Governor Signs Marijuana Decriminalization Measure
Republican Governor Bruce Rauner signed legislation today amending the state’s marijuana possession penalties. Senate Bill 2228 reduces the penalties for the possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana from a criminal misdemeanor (formerly punishable by up to six months in jail and a $ 1,500 fine) to a civil fine of no more than … Continue reading
A Pathway Towards Marijuana Legalization: The Significance of the Democratic Platform
Among all the speeches and balloons and revelry of the recently completed Democratic National Convention — a convention that has already made history by nominating a woman for president – was a far less obvious, but important change in the Democratic Party platform. For the first time since marijuana was made illegal on the federal … Continue reading
Why We Should Demand That Congress Reschedule Marijuana
Like most Americans who follow the debate over marijuana legalization in this country, I was disappointed that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration this week once again determined that marijuana has no medical use and left it in Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act. Disappointed, but not surprised. NORML first petitioned the DEA to … Continue reading
Study: Frequent Marijuana Consumers Not More Likely To Access Health Care Services
Marijuana consumers do not access health care services at rates that are higher than non-users, according to data published online ahead of print in the European Journal of Internal Medicine. Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin assessed the relationship between marijuana use and health care utilization in a nationally representative sample of 174,159,864 US … Continue reading
A New Era For NORML
My name is Randy Quast and I am NORML’s new Acting Executive Director. Let me be the first to welcome you to a new era at NORML. I’m from Minnesota. My background is in business. I worked my way up in trucking, starting with my family’s small 10-employee trucking company in the 1980s. I worked … Continue reading
Illinois: Governor Signs Medical Cannabis Expansion Plan Into Law
Governor Bruce Rauner has signed legislation to expand and extend the state’s medical marijuana program. The legislation (Senate Bill 10) extends the state’s medical cannabis program to 2020. Legislation initiating the program was set to expire in 2018. Other changes to the program include: 1. Adding post-traumatic stress and any terminal illness as qualifying medical conditions; 2. Extending … Continue reading
DEA Reaffirms ‘Flat Earth’ Position With Regard To Scheduling Marijuana
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration has rejected a pair of administrative petitions that sought to initiate rulemaking proceedings to reschedule marijuana under federal law. Although the DEA’s ruling continues to classify marijuana in the same category as heroin, the agency also announced in a separate decision that it is adopting policy changes designed to … Continue reading