Category: Federal
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Op-Ed: Do Banking and Digital Payments Solutions Exist in the Cannabis Industry?
It is no secret that having reliable banking partners in the cannabis industry is difficult, however, the adage that cannabis banking access is near impossible is no longer the case. The majority of the cannabis industry is underbanked, but not unbanked. There are a limited number of financial institutions that are willing to open business…
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The Outlaw Report Podcast Episode 06: Virginia Cannabis Reform with NORML’s Jenn Michelle Pedini
In the latest episode of The Outlaw Report podcast, Scott Cecil talks to NORML Development Director and NORML Virginia Executive Director Jenn Michelle Pedini about Virginia’s recent cannabis reforms, the special legislative session, and possible cannabis legalization in the state. And The Outlaw Report’s Brandon Soderberg discusses the new ballot initiative in Washington, D.C. to…
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Quick Hit: The National Cannabis Policy Summit Is On September 10
On Thursday, September 10, the National Cannabis Policy Summit will be held. The third annual event is virtual this year and is also free to attend (you just have to register) giving those anywhere in the country who are interested in cannabis reform a chance to be part of the summit. The ability to attend…
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House of Representatives Will Vote on The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act (The MORE Act)
The week of September 21, the House of Representatives will vote on The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act (MORE Act). The vote on this potentially historic bill which would expunge many people’s criminal records for cannabis, develop a grant program for those who have been harmed by the criminalization of cannabis, and facilitate nationwide…
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The Outlaw Report Podcast Episode 05: Talking the MORE Act with NORML’s Justin Strekal
In the latest episode of The Outlaw Report podcast, Scott Cecil talks to NORML Political Director Justin Strekal about the MORE Act, sponsored by Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick Kamala Harris. And The Outlaw Report’s Brandon Soderberg discusses Virginia’s ongoing reforms and the special legislative session and Maryland’s woeful progress when it comes to cannabis…
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Quick Hit: Trump Administration’s Anti-Cannabis Stance Goes Public With Hemp Rule
It has seemed, for quite some time, that President Donald Trump’s administration is out to get cannabis. Why exactly, is unclear. Trump, before he found his way to the White House, did not care about much or what anyone else did, unless it affected him—a sort of spoiled Democrat touched by super rich Libertarianism—and so…
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Kamala Harris Offers Something Like Hope For Cannabis Legalization Nationwide
Cannabis reformers’ hope for cannabis legalization across the United States sits squarely on the shoulders of a former prosecutor who as recently as 2014 was laughing at reporters for asking her questions about legal weed. We are of course talking about Kamala Harris, the Democratic pick for Vice President—chosen by Joe Biden, virulently opposed to…
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Quick Hit: MDMA Made From Crude Oil A Harbinger of How Big Cannabis Will Become Big Psychedelics
Earlier this month, the website Psymposia published a fascinating—and mildly terrifying—article titled, “Forget Plant-Based Medicine, MDMA is Now Made From Crude Oil.” Citing an article from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies’ (MAPS) Spring 2020 bulletin titled “The Commercial Chemistry of MDMA: From Research to Patient Access,” writer Russell Hausfeld (with David Nickels) quote from…
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The Outlaw Report Podcast Episode 04: Weed Smell in Maryland and the Limits of the DNC Cannabis Reform
In the latest episode of The Outlaw Report podcast, Scott Cecil and Brandon Soderberg discuss the new cannabis ruling in Maryland’s Court of Appeals related to smell and searching people, the politics of cannabis at the federal level and the Democratic National Committee’s decision to leave weed legalization off its 2020 platform. You can listen…
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Quick Hit: On Netflix’s ‘The Business Of Drugs’
Maybe it’s because of the mind-expanding, harm reductionist cartoon spectacle The Midnight Gospel and the goofy The Goop Lab With Gwyneth Paltrow which really veers into pseudo-science, but Netflix’s latest drug show The Business Of Drugs plays it straight—a little too straight. Across six episodes (“Cocaine,” “Synthetics,” “Heroin,” “Meth,” “Cannabis,” and “Heroin”) The Business Of…
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Commercial Cannabis and Decriminalized Psychedelics in Washington D.C. More Likely
Last week, The Outlaw Report discussed The Blumenauer-McClintock-Norton Amendment which would prevent interference from the federal government in states where cannabis is legal expanding the protections already given to states with medicinal cannabis programs. On Thursday July 30, the House of Representatives voted on The Blumenauer-McClintock-Norton Amendment which passed with a vote of 254-163 (222…
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Prosecutors Call Delegate Cheryl Glenn “Arrogant,” Request Three Years in Jail
A sentencing memorandum was filed last week for former delegate Cheryl Glenn, who was charged and pleaded guilty to accepting over $30,000 in bribes related in part, to medicinal cannabis companies, shows that prosecutors are asking for three years in federal prison. Glenn, who is 69 years old, is asking for home detention instead, with…