Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.
Let’s start with banking. Both the House and the Senate have bills that got a lot of press this week. Votes could come very soon for both pieces of legislation. Ironically, one of the sponsors of the Senate bill is Mike Crapo, from Idaho, whose state is still dealing with a lawsuit over hemp.
Civil rights groups are not so eager to see the banking bills advance. They are seeking broader reforms as regards criminal and social justice issues first.
Other federal legislation under consideration includes a bill that would reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I substance to a Schedule III substance. This would allow more cannabis research, as would the Expanding Cannabis Research and Information Act.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan introduced a bill that would remove minor marijuana charges from the list of offenses that could get immigrants deported.
And Scott Gottlieb, former FDA director, says it’s time for federal regulation of cannabis. He tweeted recently that vaping products are falling within a regulatory gap. Rules for hemp may be a step in the right direction; the USDA submitted draft rules to the Office of Management and Budget, and they may be publicly available in a matter of weeks.
Of course, there may be a new administration that will get to deal with cannabis, so it’s time for our latest installment of “Where Do the Candidates Stand on Marijuana?” We have a two-fer this week: Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Congressman Beto O’Rourke.
But what about the states? There’s plenty of action there, as usual. The Florida Attorney General is challenging the marijuana legalization referendum for being too long and confusing. Utah has decided to privatize the state’s medical marijuana dispensaries. The New Hampshire House of Representatives has voted to overturn Gov. Sununu’s veto of a bill that would allow medical marijuana patients to grow their own cannabis.
Finally, if you’re in the market for a new mattress, Caspar is now selling a line of CBD-infused “sleep gummies.”
See you next week!
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