Jan 29 2024

DEA to Rehire Agent Fired for Positive THC Test, Provide Years of Back Pay

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has agreed to rehire an agent fired in 2019 for testing positive for THC the agent says was due to his legal CBD use.

Anthony Armour joined the DEA in 2004. In 2019, after 15 years of service, Armour was fired after testing positive for a minute amount of THC during a random drug test.

Last year Armour filed a lawsuit against the agency with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Armour and his attorney claimed that the DEA had no legal standing to fire him given he was using a legal product (hemp, and hemp-derived CBD, was legalized nationwide in 2018, with products allowed to contain up to 0.3% THC).
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Jan 29 2024

US Congress: A Look at the Federal Marijuana Bills With the Most Sponsors

There’s a plethora of marijuana-related bills currently active in the United States House and Senate, but some have far more sponsors than others.

As the DEA continues to consider whether or not marijuana should be rescheduled, federal lawmakers continue to push a variety of bills designed to reform marijuana laws through the legislative branch.

Below is a look at the legislation in both the US Senate and House of Representatives with the most sponsors.
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Jan 29 2024

US Senator and Congressmember Join New York Leaders in Calling For DEA to Deschedule Marijuana

Yesterday, United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressmember Jerrold Nadler joined numerous New York lawmakers and marijuana reform activists to call on the Attorney General and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to deschedule marijuana.

Senator Gillibrand and Congressmember Nadler were joined in Harlem by Senator Cordell Cleare, New York City Council Member Yusef Salaam, New York State Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs, New York State Assemblymember Rev. Al Taylor, Executive Director of Empire State NORML David Holland, business leaders, and other marijuana reform advocates.

“The highly stigmatized substance is currently classified in the same category as heroin and a more dangerous category than fentanyl or cocaine — even though marijuana is not associated with the same acute health risks and potential for addiction and abuse”, says a press release from Senator Gillibrand’s office. “Additionally, people of color are more likely to have criminal records for marijuana possession and to face needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities as a result.”
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Jan 29 2024

South Dakota Bill Would Recognize Tribal Medical Marijuana Authorizations, Public Hearing Scheduled

Legislation filed last week in South Dakota’s Legislature would provide state protections to those issued tribal medical marijuana authorizations.

Filed by Senator Shawn Bordeaux (D), Senate Bill 141 was “first read in Senate and referred to Senate Health and Human Services” on January 24. It has been scheduled for a hearing in the committee for later today.

South Dakota legalized medical marijuana in 2021. The law legally recognizes “nonresident cardholders”, described as a person diagnosed “with a debilitating medical condition”, who is “not a resident of this state or who has been a resident of this state for fewer than forty-five days”, who was “issued a currently valid registry identification card or its equivalent by another state, district, territory, commonwealth, insular possession of the United States, or country recognized by the United States that allows the person to use cannabis for medical purposes in the jurisdiction of issuance”.
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Jan 28 2024

Final Four NFL Teams All From Legal Marijuana States

There are four NFL teams playing in the AFC and NFC Championship games today. All are from legal recreational marijuana states.

Although 20 of the National Football League’s 32 teams (62%) are from states that have legalized recreational marijuana, 100% of the teams that made it to the championship matches are from one of those states.

The Kansas City Chiefs are from Missouri, and the Baltimore Ravens are from Maryland; both legalized recreational marijuana via the initiative process in 2022.
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Jan 27 2024

Arizona Marijuana Workers Vote Overwhelmingly to Unionize

Employees at a marijuana cultivation facility in Arizona voted this week to unionize, with 90% of workers in support of the move.

On Thursday workers at the Trulieve Cannabis Corp central Phoenix production facility voted 37 to 4 in favor of unionizing with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 99.

“The successful union election at Trulieve Magnolia is the first for Arizona agricultural workers in the cannabis industry, and only the second-ever union election to be administered by the Arizona Agricultural Labor Relations Board (AERB)”, states a UFCW press release. “Established in 1993, the AERB’s statutes are patterned after the National Labor Relations Act, which specifically excludes agricultural workers from its jurisdiction.”
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Jan 27 2024

Marijuana Stock Index Up 30% From 90 Days Ago

The Global Cannabis Stock Index has seen a significant increase over the past 90 days.

At the time of publication the Global Cannabis Stock Index stands at 9.06. This marks a 30.7% increase over where the market stood 90 days ago, when it was at 6.93. The high point over the past 30 days came on Thursday, January 25, with the market at 9.13.

The slow but steady increase over the past few moths may be related to the fact that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently confirmed that they’re in talks with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regarding the potential rescheduling of marijuana. HHS is recommending that marijuana be moved to Schedule III, a move that would legalize medical marijuana for prescription use across the United States.
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Jan 26 2024

Poll: Majority of Likely Voters in All 50 States Support Legalizing Marijuana, Nationwide Support at 57%

According to newly released polling, a strong majority of likely voters int he United States, including a majority in all 50 states, support legalizing recreational marijuana.

For the Politics and Advocacy Poll, conducted by The Tarrance Group, participants were asked:

“As you may know, most states have legalized marijuana for medical use, recreational use or both.
But currently all uses of marijuana are illegal at the federal level. Do you favor or oppose legalization
of marijuana by the U.S. government, which would legalize it in all 50 states?”
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Jan 26 2024

Virginia Subcommittee Advances Bill to Legalize Recreational Marijuana Sales

Despite legalizing recreational marijuana in 2024, Virginia remains the only legal marijuana state to not allow sales in any capacity. A bill making its way through the state’s legislature could change that.

Yesterday a Senate subcommittee voted to advance Senate Bill 423, which would establish a licensed and regulated market for legal marijuana.

Under the proposed law, which must be approved through several more committees before it can be considered by the full Senate, the state would license up to 400 marijuana stores starting in 2025.
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Jan 26 2024

Federal Legislation to Allow Marijuana Banking Gains 99th Sponsor in US House

The SAFE Banking Act gained its 99th sponsor yesterday in the United States House of Representatives.

The SAFE Banking Act would provide federal protections to banks and other financial services such as credit unions that provide services to marijuana businesses that are legal under their state’s law. This includes debit card services, businesses loans and other banking services.

The proposal was filed in April with eight cosponsors. Yesterday, Representative Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) became the 99th person to sponsor the bill, and the 91st since its filing.
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