The last month or so has seen a dramatic series of steps which could eventually lead to the full legalization of cannabis at the US federal level. First, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced a bill to fully legalize industrial hemp, in part to help...
As more and more politicians of all stripes move towards support of federal legalization of cannabis, two senior Republicans have joined the advisory board of a major cannabis company. According to The Hill, the former Speaker of the House John Boehner and former Massachusetts Governor William...
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced a plan on Monday to introduce federal legislation to remove industrial hemp as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Citing hemp as important to Kentucky’s farming history, he voiced his most positive support to...
An Israeli peer-reviewed study, just published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine, reports that pain and nausea of cancer patients can be lessened through the use of medical cannabis. The study included thousands of cancer patients using medical cannabis between 2015 and 2017. Over...
A potentially groundbreaking federal lawsuit brought last summer was dismissed by New York judge Alvin Hellerstein today. The case, brought by five plaintiffs including two children, two veterans and former NFL player Marvin Washington, all of whom use state legal medical cannabis, claimed that the Controlled Substances Act is...
Vermont’s Republican Governor, Phil Scott, reluctantly signed legislation today fully legalizing the adult use of cannabis in the Green Mountain State. This makes Vermont the ninth state (plus the District of Columbia) to have fully legalized cannabis. It is the third northeast state to legalize,...
In his annual budget address yesterday, NY Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his plan to form a task force to study possible legalization of the adult use of cannabis in the Empire State. Currently the state permits the sale of cannabis only for medical reasons. Less...
As discussed previously here, on January 4, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded all prior advisory memos on prosecutorial priorities relating to cannabis, including the 2014 Cole Memo which many relied on in entering the space. One consequence of rescinding the Cole Memo is its effect...
Yesterday, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded all prior advisory memoranda regarding enforcement priorities in connection with alleged cannabis crimes. This includes the key so-called Cole Memo issued in 2014. That memo advised US attorneys not to prioritize pursuing criminal cases against those complying with...
As we get ready to stick a fork in 2017, the speculation has begun as to which US states might consider legalizing full adult use of cannabis next year. Many are betting on these five: Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Missouri and Nebraska. And of course New...