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Historic bill to legalize cannabis introduced in Congress
Unlikely political bedfellows Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced a first-of-its-kind bill June 23 that would end the federal prohibition on cannabis. The legislation is modeled...
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Nine congress members protest medical cannabis crackdown in letter to Obama
Nine Congress members on Oct. 31 issued an open letter to President Obama urging him to put a halt to new aggressive Justice Department tactics aimed at dismantling California's medical marijuana...
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Crack cocaine sentencing reform takes effect
This week, more than 12,000 people—85% of them Black—now serving time for crack cocaine offenses will have their sentences reviewed by a federal judge under terms of the Fair Sentencing Act, passed in...
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Governors petition for cannabis reclassification
Governors Christine Gregoire (D-WA) and Lincoln Chafee (I-RI) announced at a press conference in Olympia Nov. 30 that they are jointly filing a federal petition to reclassify cannabis for medical use....
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Congressional bill would lift ban on medical marijuana evidence in federal court
On July 17, US Representative Sam Farr (D-CA) and 18 co-sponsors introduced HR 6134, the "Truth in Trials" Act—bipartisan legislation to allow defendants in federal criminal prosecutions the ability to...
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Federal medical marijuana bills introduced
More than a dozen members of Congress co-introduced legislation Feb. 14 that would reclassify cannabis for medical use and provide federal defendants the right to use state law compliance as evidence...
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New bill to legalize cannabis introduced in Congress
Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) introduced legislation last month, House Resolution 499, which would effectively end the federal prohibition on marijuana and allow states to set their own policies. The...
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Minnesota medical marijuana law gets mixed reviews
Gov. Mark Dayton signed a bill into law May 29 that makes Minnesota the 22nd medical marijuana state. Patient advocates celebrated the passage of SF 2470, which will protect qualified patients from...
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Medical advocates hail Congressional vote to curb DoJ enforcement
In an unprecedented 219-189 floor vote late May 29, the House of Representatives approved the end of funding for Department of Justice (DoJ) enforcement in medical marijuana states. Advocates are...
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Federal bill introduced to legalize CBD extract
US Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) on July 29 introduced a bill to legalize cannabidiol (CBD) oil on a national level, citing its effectiveness in treating seizures in children suffering from epilepsy. The...
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Federal court to hear evidence on cannabis classification
The US District Court for the Eastern District of California will hold rare formal hearings beginning Oct. 27 to determine whether an indictment against Brian Justin Pickard and others for conspiracy...
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House bill to overturn VA medical marijuana ban
US representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), along with ten bipartisan co-sponsors introduced, the Veterans Equal Access Act (VEAA) Nov. 20, to allow our country's veterans to...
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Restriction on medical marijuana enforcement in omnibus budget bill
The House and Senate appropriations leadership has hammered out a budget bill that includes an historic amendment to curb federal Department of Justice (DoJ) enforcement in medical marijuana states....
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Senate bill to lift federal ban on medical marijuana
A bipartisan group of US Senators on March 10 announced legislation to end the federal ban on medical marijuana. The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act is...
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Congress passes amendments to stop DEA from undermining state marijuana laws
Legislators on Capitol Hill passed three amendments June 3 to bar the DEA and Department of Justice from undermining state marijuana laws, as part of the US House of Representatives' consideration of...
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Congress votes up truce in war on medical marijuana
On Dec. 18, Congress approved a $1.1 trillion dollar spending bill—and in the process approved a provision promising to keep federal law enforcement out of medical marijuana operations in states that...
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Obama signs draconian new drug law
To little fanfare, President Barack Obama on May 16 signed into law the Transnational Drug Trafficking Act—further extending the global reach of US narcotics enforcement. The law criminalizes...
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WikiLeaks reveals: alcohol industry promotes Congressional concern for cannabis
Is the alcohol industry is spending money to get members of Congress to pay attention to the problem of "marijuana-impaired driving"? That's the case made on the cannabis industry website...
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Sessions testimony on cannabis: strategic ambiguity?
After the first day of Senate confirmation hearings for Jeff Sessions, president-elect Trump's choice to lead the US Justice Department, cannabis advocates are parsing his testimony for clues as to...
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House bill to remove cannabis from schedule list
Rep. Tom Garrett (R-VA) on Feb. 27 announced the introduction of legislation aimed at decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level. The ambitiously named "Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of...
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