President Biden’s commerce secretary deflected a reporter’s marijuana question on Monday, saying that the issue is “so far afield from anything that I’m working on” for the administration as she focuses on other priorities like trade and supply chain management. During an interview with Politico on the Biden agenda, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was asked about the president’s unfulfilled promise to decriminalize cannabis, as well as concerns that some stakeholders have voiced about the market impact of broad descheduling when it comes to opening up interstate commerce. The cabinet member gave a short answer, saying the issue is not currently a part of her workload and so she doesn’t have “any updates for you on that.” Raimondo, who left her job as governor of Rhode Island to join the Biden administration, used to put significant thought into marijuana policy, backing a plan in her budget request to legalize cannabis for adult use through a state-run model. Her successor, Gov. Dan McKee (D), recently proposed legalization in his budget that would fund a more conventional adult-use market. But the apparent lack of attention to cannabis policy in her new capacity is a disappointment for advocates, serving as another signal that the president and its administration are not prioritizing an issue that’s widely popular among Americans, particularly Democrats. Vice President Kamala Harris used to frequently talk about marijuana reform during her 2020 presidential campaign, for example, but she’s remained relatively silent on the topic since entering the White House. She said last year that the administration isn’t focused on following through on its marijuana reform pledges because it’s too overwhelmed with responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 02/02/2022 08:58:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/commerce-secretary-says-bidens-marijuana-pledges-are-so-far-afield-from-her-work-priorities/

The House of Representatives is set to vote once again on providing protections to banks that work with state-legal marijuana businesses. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), the sponsor of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, filed the text of his bill as an amendment last week. On Tuesday, the House Rules Committee determined the proposal to be in order, meaning it will be taken up by the full House for consideration to be attached to large-scale legislation on research and innovation in the tech and manufacturing sectors that is advancing. The floor vote is expected later this week. If approved, it would mark the sixth time that Perlmutter’s cannabis measure has advanced through the House in some form. The congressman’s last attempt to get the reform enacted through a massive defense bill, it was attached to the House legislation only to be stripped out following bicameral negotiations. Perlmutter put much to blame for that defeat on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who has insisted that comprehensive legalization, like a bill he’s expected to file soon, should move first before the incremental banking policy change. On Tuesday, Perlmutter told the Rules Committee, of which he is a member, that he’s planning to offer the SAFE Banking Act as an amendment to “every single bill I possibly can until it’s passed” and he acknowledged that his colleagues are probably “becoming all too familiar with” the legislation in light of his repeated advocacy for it. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), the panel’s ranking member, chimed in to say that he supports the measure and looks forward to voting for it on the floor. Along with Perlmutter, the cannabis financial services amendment is cosponsored by Reps. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 02/01/2022 20:09:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/marijuana-banking-reform-cleared-for-house-floor-again-following-committee-action-on-large-scale-bill/

A bipartisan coalition of House lawmakers on Wednesday sent a letter to congressional leadership, demanding that a bill to federally legalize marijuana be “expeditiously” taken up by Congress. The letter, led by Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), urges action on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act—a bill sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) that cleared the House in a historic first in 2020 and has since passed the sponsor’s panel again this session but has not yet been scheduled for floor consideration. The legislators are also making the request on broad marijuana reform as the House is set this week to take up a more incremental proposal again to protect banks that work with state-legal cannabis businesses after it’s already cleared the chamber five times in some form. Advocates have been eager to see the comprehensive MORE Act reconsidered on the floor in the new session, especially with Democrats now in control of both chambers as well as the White House. The lawmakers said that they remain “disheartened” that the Senate didn’t advance the MORE Act after it cleared the House, but they’re “optimistic that the bill’s re-introduction this Congress indicates progress for descheduling marijuana.” Signatories said that the MORE Act “is foundational in righting systemic injustices and removing barriers for families and individuals nationwide” and so it should be “expeditiously considered by the House and Senate.” The letter describes the contents of the MORE Act, its focus on promoting social equity in the industry, racial disparities in marijuana arrests, and the long-term consequences of having a cannabis conviction on a person’s record.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 02/02/2022 15:58:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/bipartisan-congressional-lawmakers-demand-marijuana-legalization-bill-expeditiously-get-house-vote/

Senior citizens in Washington, D.C. are on the verge of being able to access medical marijuana without having to get a doctor’s recommendation. The D.C. Council voted unanimously to pass a measure on Tuesday to expand access to the District’s medical marijuana program, Marijuana Moment writes. The “Medical Marijuana Patient Access Extension Emergency Amendment Act of 2022” will help patients in the jurisdiction and encourage people to get their medical cannabis from licensed retailers instead of from gray market vendors. The proposal will allow senior citizens over 65 to access cannabis products based on self-certification for medical needs until September 30 – without having to go through physicians for a recommendation and renewals, which can be prohibitive. The measure sheds light on the rising cost of cannabis at licensed dispensaries and “the continuing threat posed by illicit cannabis storefronts and delivery services,” the document writes. To alleviate that situation for seniors, many of whom are on fixed incomes, the measure will create a 4/20 Medical Cannabis Sales Tax Holiday Week where patients would not have to pay the normal 6 percent sales tax from April 20 through April 24, 2022. Washington D.C. residents voted for cannabis possession and home growing back in 2014, however, the market is still unregulated and people are not allowed to accept any form of remuneration for gifting.

Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 02/02/2022 12:50:00

Open article: https://mmpconnect.com/d-c-seniors-to-get-medical-marijuana-without-docs-recommendation-and-4-20-tax-holiday-for-capitol-weed-buyers/

Late last year, a GOP Congresswoman sent waves across America’s nascent cannabis industry when she introduced a bill to end federal cannabis prohibition in the country and regulate the controversial plant. With cannabis reform being seen as a primarily progressive effort spearheaded by the left, Rep. Nancy Mace’s States Reform Act was meant to act as a compromise between Democrats and Republicans. Although Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his colleagues had already unveiled a federal legalization bill, it stands little chance of advancing to the President’s desk without Republican support. In a move that is bound to bolster the GOP-led legislation’s standing in Capitol Hill, Amazon has announced its support for the States Reform Act. Currently, the second-largest private employer in America, the e-commerce giant has backed Democrat-led efforts to legalize cannabis in the past, including Schumer’s Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. According to Amazon’s public policy division, the company is “pleased to endorse” the Republican-led bill. Amazon believes it is time for America to reform its cannabis prohibition policies, the company says, and it is committed to helping the cannabis reform cause.

CannabisNewsWire, 02/03/2022 04:20:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisnewswire.com/420-with-cnw-amazon-backs-republican-led-bill-ending-federal-cannabis-prohibition/