A bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers is circulating a letter to build support for a spending bill amendment they’re introducing this week that would protect all state and tribal marijuana programs from federal interference—going beyond the existing measure that shields only medical cannabis states that are currently enacted into law. The amendment and its supporting Dear Colleague memo, which was shared with Marijuana Moment, is being led by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Barbara Lee (D-CA). The lawmakers explained that the proposed amendment to spending legislation would add “language preventing the Department of Justice from using any funds appropriated by Congress to enforce federal laws regarding activities that are legal under state, territorial, or tribal law with regard to marijuana, regardless of whether the marijuana laws are recreational or medicinal.” This language has been proposed in past sessions as well, passing the House last year and in 2019. But it was not attached to final appropriations legislation sent to the president’s desk under GOP control of the Senate. Now that Democrats have a slim majority in the chamber, advocates are optimistic that it could finally be enacted.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 07/22/2021 12:36:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/congressional-lawmakers-seek-to-build-support-for-amendment-to-protect-all-marijuana-states-from-federal-interference/

A GOP congressman released videos on Wednesday showing him teaming up with local California police to bulldoze illegal marijuana grow sites—flexing his muscles, deploying cheesy quotes, and grinning throughout the volunteer task. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office had asked for help eradicating the unregulated cannabis greenhouses back in May, and Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) was among those to quickly raise their hand. Videos released by his office show a self-satisfied congressman climbing into a bulldozer and helping to bring down a large white canopy where the marijuana was being grown. “I love the smell of diesel power in the afternoon. It smells like victory,” LaMalfa said in one clip, an homage to a classic line in the 1979 war film “Apocalypse Now.” The congressman, who has consistently opposed marijuana reform legislation in Congress, said he participated in the eradication effort to highlight the environmental consequences of illicit grow operations, organized crime, and the labor issues associated with the sites.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 07/22/2021 11:17:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/gop-congressman-bulldozes-marijuana-grow-sites-along-with-police/

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Thursday discussed his strategy for getting enough votes to pass his federal marijuana legalization bill, describing the process of soliciting feedback on the legislation from colleagues and working to incorporate any requested “modifications” in order to get the measure across the finish line. It was just last week that Schumer unveiled a 163-page draft version of the reform legislation alongside Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). While they made clear that public input is valued—and they’ve created an email account where people can submit comments until September 30 on the proposal—the new comments provide a fresh insight into the legislative process to build support for the measure within the Senate. “We’re now going around to our colleagues saying, ‘Would you sign onto the bill? And if you don’t like what’s in the bill and want some modifications, tell us,’” he told ABC’s The View. “I want to get this done. And I think we will get it done because it’s so, so overwhelmingly supported by the American people.” There have been some serious questions about whether the three senators will be able to muster the 60 votes needed to pass the legislation in their chamber. Even with a slim Democratic majority in the Senate, there are some members of Schumer’s own party who’ve expressed concerns about the comprehensive reform.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 07/22/2021 16:35:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/chuck-schumer-discusses-strategy-for-getting-enough-votes-to-pass-marijuana-legalization-bill/

The North Carolina Senate keeps advancing a bill that would legalize medical marijuana here, as the state remains one of the few holdouts in the country without such a law. Senators in the Finance Committee passed the bill Wednesday, after a brief discussion about the taxes and other revenue it might bring to North Carolina if passed. No one had a solid estimate, but based on other states, it would likely bring in tens of millions of dollars a year. For example, the News & Observer previously reported that Michigan made $45 million from medical marijuana last year. It has similar marijuana tax structures as what North Carolina is proposing, and is around the same size population. Some members of the public came to the General Assembly Wednesday to tell lawmakers they should charge companies even more money to get licensed to sell marijuana here than the bill proposes. “I think y’all are leaving a lot of money on the table here,” said Pat Oglesby, a Chapel Hill tax attorney who has studied and worked on marijuana legalization issues in other states. Oglesby said a Maryland dispensary recently sold for $8 million. The North Carolina bill proposes charging dispensaries $50,000 to get a license, plus another $10,000 a year to keep it, with extra fees if they open multiple locations. Oglesby said those numbers should be higher. Others said the opposite, however, fearing that higher taxes and fees would be passed on to the patients, via higher costs.

Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 07/22/2021 06:49:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2021/07/medical-marijuana-bill-advances-in-nc-senate-whats-needed-for-it-to-become-law/