Author Archives: ushempmuseum
Texas House Adjourns Without Floor Votes on Marijuana Reform Measures
House lawmakers adjourned on Thursday without taking floor votes on several pending bills to amend state marijuana laws. Both HB 507 (decriminalization) and HB 557 (relating to industrial hemp) were placed on the House calendar, but were never called for a vote. House Bill 557 had previously passed unanimously out of the Agriculture and Livestock … Continue reading
Studies: Changes In Marijuana’s Legal Status Not Associated With Increased Use By Young People
Changes in marijuana’s legal status under state law is not associated with increased cannabis use or with its perceived availability by young people, according to pair of recently published studies. In the first study, published online in the journal Substance Use & Misuse, researchers at Columbia University in New York surveyed the marijuana use habits … Continue reading
Wisconsin: Lawmakers Fail To Act On Hemp Measure
Lawmakers have failed to act on legislation to establish activities involving the cultivation of industrial hemp. AB 215 would have required, “the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to issue licenses that authorize the growing and processing of industrial hemp.” Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa L. that contains minimal … Continue reading
Federal: Tell House Members to Support the McClintock/Polis Amendment
Members of the United States House of Representatives are anticipated to vote as early as tonight on a series of amendments to a Justice Department spending bill. Several of these amendments seek to limit the federal government’s ability to intrude in states that have regulated various aspects of marijuana production and access. Specifically, Representatives Tom … Continue reading
Iowa: Urge Senator Grassley to Hold Hearing on CARERS Act
Senate legislation, S. 683: The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) Act, is pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa. The senate measure seeks to strengthen statewide medical marijuana protections and impose various changes to federal law. Passage of this measure would permit qualified patients, doctors, … Continue reading
Federal: Bipartisan Coalition Introduces the Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act of 2015
Members of the US House and Senate are sponsoring The Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act of 2015 to permit financial institutions to engage in business relationships with the marijuana industry. In November, the bill received support from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid who signed on as a cosponsor of the bill. The House version of … Continue reading
Massachusetts: Lawmakers Fail To Consider Medical Marijuana Expansion Measure
Lawmakers failed to move legislation forward to protect patients approved by physicians and certified by the Department of Public Health to access medical marijuana. H. 2065 sought to protect qualified patients from discrimination. The measure would have no longer permitted employers, landlords, hospitals, universities, and family services to discriminate and/or sanction individuals based solely on … Continue reading
Utah: Lawmakers Enact CBD-Exemption Measure
Lawmakers approved legislation, House Bill 105, exempting state-qualified patients from criminal prosecution if they possess a cannabis extract that contains more than 15 percent CBD and no more than 0.3 percent THC. Only patients diagnosed with intractable epilepsy and possessing a recommendation from a neurologist are allowed to obtain high CBD-extracts under the program. The … Continue reading
Who Is This Anti-Marijuana Zealot Sheldon Adelson?
I am writing today about a somewhat mysterious man who has spent tens of millions of dollars to try to prop up marijuana prohibition. In fact, he has become the big fish in the anti-marijuana funding world. His name is Sheldon Adelson, and he is an 82-year-old Las Vegas casino owner (The Sands, The Venetian, … Continue reading