Industrial Hemp Legislation
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
Federal: Industrial Hemp Farming Act Pending in Congress
Federal legislation to amend the federal Controlled Substances Act to allow for the commercial cultivation of industrial hemp is pending in the United States House and Senate. The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013 amends the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana. The measure grants state legislatures the authority … Continue reading
Illinois: Lawmakers Fail To Consider Bill To Legalize Marijuana Production and Retail Sales
Lawmakers failed to consider legislation to legalize and regulate the adult use and retail sale of cannabis this legislative session. House Bill 4276, the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act, would have permitted those over the age of 21 to legally possess up to 30 grams of cannabis and/or to engage in the home cultivation of … Continue reading
Federal: Members Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Eliminate DEA Marijuana Eradication Program
Congressmen Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Justin Amash (R-MI) have introduced legislation, HR 3518, to eliminate the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program. The DEA program distributes funds to state and local law enforcement agencies for the purpose of locating and destroying marijuana cultivation sites. HR 3518 reads, “[B]eginning in fiscal year 2015, and for each fiscal year … Continue reading
Florida: Unscientific Per Se Measure Dies In Committee
Legislation to impose ‘per se’ criminal penalties to individuals who drive a motor vehicle with trace levels (5ng/ml or higher) of THC in their blood — regardless of whether he/she is behaviorally impaired, has died in committee this legislative session. NORML opposes the imposition of this type of per se traffic safety legislation for cannabinoids … Continue reading
