Category: Federal
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Quick Hit: In Praise Of John Fetterman
Amid the months of bogus claims of election fraud from President Donald Trump and his fanatical supporters which escalated further last week during the attack on the Capitol, one of the beacons of progressive politics and just downright reasonability has been Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania John Fetterman. Amid an endless sea of bloviating wrinkled-up Republicans…
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Quick Hit: A Billion Bucks Worth of Legal Weed in Illinois
The state of Illinois seems to be doing legal cannabis correctly. When Illinois legalized cannabis, the state introduced a number of racial equity provisions that would begin to undo some of the harm caused by the racist war on drugs—focusing on expungements and pardons for low-level cannabis offenses and providing those in the state with…
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The Complexities of Cannabis in the Consolidated Appropriations Act
It was down to the wire last week as the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which would among other things—and perhaps most importantly—give millions of Americans some much-needed (if modest) economic relief was finally signed by President Donald Trump. The massive spending bill was passed by both the House and the Senate on Dec. 21 and then…
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Andy Harris Co-Sponsored Medical Marijuana Research Act Passes The House
Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Medical Marijuana Research Act, a bill that will make it much easier for researchers to study cannabis and receive medical-grade cannabis from state growers (along with federal growers which is currently accepted). Along with allowing researchers to study cannabis through state programs, the Medical Marijuana Research Act…
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Quick Hit: There’s a New Cannabinoid—Sesqui CBG
Scientists have announced that they have “discovered” a new class of Cannabinoids—Sesqui-Cannabinoids. In a press release put out by Medican on Thursday, December 10, the pharmaceutical company announced there is a patent-pending on the process to biosynthesize this new class of Cannabinoid they’ve called Sesqui CBG. “This is a significant new discovery. We are the…
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Episode 12: The MORE Act Passes the House!
In this episode of The Outlaw Report podcast, Scott is joined by Mike Liszewski, friend of the show and inside expert on Capitol Hill on cannabis law and policy and drug policy reform more broadly. The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to deschedule cannabis and end federal cannabis prohibition as we know it.…
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The MORE Act Passes The House
The House of Representatives finally voted to end federal prohibition of cannabis on Friday, December 4. After multiple delays, the highly anticipated and historic vote for the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act fell mainly along party lines, 228-164. Five Republicans crossed party lines to vote for the MORE Act, including the lone Republican…
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Quick Hit: House To Vote On Cannabis Research Bill This Week
Following the highly-publicized MORE Act vote, the House of Representatives will vote on another cannabis bill this week. This one, the Medical Marijuana Research Act, sponsored by Earl Blumenauer and noted cannabis reform enemy Andy Harris, will reduce the regulations that exist making it easier to get approved to research cannabis and increase the supply…
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Quick Hit: Mexico Likely To Legalize Cannabis
It is likely that quite soon Mexico will have made cannabis legal. Earlier this month, the bill was approved by the Senate and is now in the hands of the Chamber of Deputies (essentially, Mexico’s Congress). Mexico’s proposal for legalization would allow adults to purchase, possess, and use cannabis (the threshold is 28 grams) and…
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Congress Will Vote On The MORE Act This Week
On November 27, Congress announced that a vote on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act (The MORE Act) is scheduled for this week. The House Bill, which is HR 3884 will have a vote on either Wednesday, December 2; Thursday, December 3; or Friday, December 4. The MORE Act will deschedule cannabis making it…
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The MORE Act, Explained
It was about a year ago that The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act—The MORE Act—first passed the House Judiciary Committee with a vote of 24-10. Introduced on July 23, 2019, the MORE Act would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, effectively decriminalizing it nationwide and make it much easier for states to legalize…
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Episode 11: The 2020 Election—Drugs Won
In this episode of The Outlaw Report, Scott Cecil is joined by The Outlaw Report’s Brandon Soderberg to discuss the role of cannabis and drug reform in the recent election. They review the results of the 2020 election and how those results impacted drug policy in D.C. and across the United States. They also take…