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1/5 of Senate cosponsoring cannabis banking bill (Newsletter: April 12, 2019)

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Ag secretary will tour hemp farms; Trump officials reviewing marijuana bills; Medical cannabis patients’ gun rights bill; WA Gov on psilocybin decrim

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There are now 1,029 cannabis-related bills moving through state legislatures and Congress for 2019 sessions.

  • Sage Winn of Wander: “Thanks for creating this product. In just the few short bursts I’ve used it thus far, it’s been extremely useful.”

Never let a marijuana bill catch you by surprise with exclusive access to Marijuana Moment’s custom-built cannabis legislation tracker for just $25/month.
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

Two Trump Cabinet officials pledged during congressional hearings this week to review bipartisan marijuana bills: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is considering endorsing cannabis banking legislation, and Attorney General William Barr is looking at a proposal to let states legalize without federal interference.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue accepted an invitation from Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) to tour hemp farms in Oregon.

  • “I probably know less about that than I do most of the crops, and certainly I would welcome that.”

Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Cory Gardner (R-CO)—along with a fifth of the entire Senate— filed a bill to let marijuana businesses access banks. Identical legislation already cleared a House committee two weeks ago.

Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) introduced a bill to amend federal law to let medical cannabis patients exercise their Second Amendment rights to purchase and possess guns.

Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee (D), a presidential candidate, said he’s open to decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms.

/ FEDERAL

Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted, “The cumulative effects of consuming CBD regularly are not well established, but it’s not risk free and should be properly evaluated. It’s a drug product that’s being put into the food supply. And some of the formulations on the market are super potent.”

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a presidential candidate, and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) filed legislation to “facilitate the recovery of lands and waters that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed by illegal marijuana cultivation or another illegal activity.”

Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) questioned federal officials about drug smuggling at the border during a hearing.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) tweeted, “We’ve got legal marijuana businesses all across the country, but most can’t open a bank account, cut a check, or run a credit card. So they operate w/ bags of cash—an open invite for robbery and crime.”

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) tweeted, “Nevada’s marijuana businesses continue to operate as cash-only as a result of federal laws that are blocking access to financial services. I’m co-sponsoring the #SAFEBankingAct to allow our new industry to gain the same access to financial institutions as any other business.”

Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) tweeted, “Glad to see the Senate introduce #SAFEBanking legislation to allow access to banking for legitimate businesses in states where voters legalized some form of marijuana. The House #SAFEBanking bill is gaining more & more support w/163 cosponsors currently.”

Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) accused marijuana legalization activists of “stalking” him.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), a presidential candidate, tweeted, “Hemp played a vital role in the American economy through the early 1900’s until it was replaced w/ fossil fuel products. Versatile & environmentally friendly, it represents great opportunity for small farmers. It’s time to bring it back!”

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) tweeted that efforts to use technology to expunge marijuana convictions is “a great example of how technology can have a positive impact on people’s lives.”

Former San Antonio, Texas Mayor Julian Castro (D), a presidential candidate, spoke about his support for legalizing marijuana and expunging convictions at a CNN town hall. He also tweeted, “Legalize it. Then expunge the records of folks who are in prison for marijuana use.”

The House marijuana banking bill got two new cosponsors, for a total of 160.

/ STATES

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) secretary said he and lawmakers have a “conceptual agreement” on marijuana legalization legislation.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and legislative leaders met to discuss strategy for passing a marijuana legalization bill.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) said he believes lawmakers will pass marijuana legalization by the end of the session. Meanwhile, the state Department of Agriculture is asking for a budget increase to help pay for its role in regulating cannabis under legalization.

Kentucky’s attorney general, a gubernatorial candidate, spoke about medical cannabis during a forum.

Michigan lawmakers sent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) a bill requiring background checks for people with an ownership stake in a medical cannabis business.

The Idaho House Transportation and Defense Committee rejected Senate changes to a hemp transportation bill.

The Texas House Public Health Committee held a hearing on several medical cannabis bills.

The South Carolina Senate Medical Affairs Committee held hearings on medical cannabis legislation.

Colorado regulators issued a public health advisory over pesticide-tainted marijuana.

Oregon regulators released guidance on pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes. Meanwhile legislation to create cannabis social use areas died.

Oklahoma regulators are on pace to approve 150,000 medical cannabis patients in the first year of the state’s program.


Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.

/ LOCAL

The Los Angeles, California City Council voted to move forward to fund the city’s marijuana social equity program.

New York City’s mayor supports a bill the City Council passed to ban pre-employment marijuana testing.

The Dallas County, Texas district attorney said his office will no longer prosecute some first-time marijuana offenses.

The Portsmouth, Virginia commonwealth’s attorney will no longer prosecute most marijuana possession cases.

/ INTERNATIONAL

Mexico’s interior secretary posted a Twitter poll about legalizing marijuana.

A German court ruled that people should not be automatically stripped of their licenses for driving under the influence of marijuana.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A review concluded that studies have “demonstrated an improvement in seizure reduction in children taking CBD as compared to the placebo groups.”

A study found that medical cannabis law “implementation increases the probability that an individual increases their [cigarette] smoking consumption by 0.06 percentage points.”

/ BUSINESS

Rite Aid announced it will begin selling CBD products on a test basis in Washington and Oregon. Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said it’s not a smart move.

/ CULTURE

The video game Weedcraft, Inc. is running into censorship issues on Facebook and YouTube.

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Tom Angell is the editor of Marijuana Moment. A 20-year veteran in the cannabis law reform movement, he covers the policy and politics of marijuana. Separately, he founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority. Previously he reported for Marijuana.com and MassRoots, and handled media relations and campaigns for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

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