NEWS UPDATES

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by NORMLOctober 23, 2019     A super-majority of Americans, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents support making marijuana use legal in the United States, according to nationwide polling data compiled by Gallup, first reported by Forbes.
Sixty-six percent of respondents endorse legalization, a total that is consistent with other recent polls and that is nearly 30 percent higher than 2012 totals — when Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize adult marijuana use. A separate nationwide poll released yesterday by PPRI (the Public Religion Research Institute) similarly reported that two in three Americans support legalizing and regulating adults’ marijuana use.
Commenting on the poll results, NORML Political Director Justin Strekal said: “There is no buyer’s remorse on the part of the American people. In recent years, American’s support for legalization has only grown stronger. At the end of the day, every age demographic below 65, representing the overwhelming majority of the taxpaying public, would rather their dollars be spent to regulate cannabis, not incarcerate its consumers.

• The United States Department of Agriculture has issued interim rules governing the commercial cultivation of hemp. The rules are still subject to a mandatory 60-day public comment period following their publication in the Federal Register.
  States the agency, “If a State or Indian Tribes wants to have primary regulatory authority over the production of hemp in that State or territory of that Indian Tribe they may submit, for the approval of the Secretary, a plan concerning the monitoring and regulation of such hemp production. … With the publication of the interim rule, USDA will begin to implement the hemp program including reviewing State and Tribal plans and issuing licenses under the USDA hemp plan.”
  Legislation signed into law in 2018 mandates the USDA to promulgate regulations and guidelines to facilitate the licensed production of industrial hemp and products containing cannabinoids derived from the plant. Under the federal law, cannabis plants containing no more than 0.3 percent THC are no longer classified as a schedule I controlled substance.
  Greg Ibach, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, said that the agency will “use the 2020 growing season to test drive the interim rule to guide any adjustments made in the final rule.” Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, who spearheaded the 2018 law change, said that the USDA’s latest actions “will help farmers around the country continue pioneering this crop into the 21st century. … There will inevitably be ups and downs as this new industry develops, but today’s announcement is another crucial step (forward).”
  Full text of the interim rules are available online here.
  Tags : farming, hemp, mcconnell, usda
  Posted in : GOVERNMENT
  
  

 Even the opposition admits that if the amendments get on the ballot, THEY WILL PASS!! To read the entire article, click HERE: 

Thursday, 21 November 2019

Washington, DC: Members of the United States House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday passed legislation – House Bill 3884: The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act – by more than a two-to-one margin.

Members decided 24 to 10 in favor of the Act, with two Republicans voting in support of the bill. The MORE Act removes the marijuana plant from the federal Controlled Substances Act, thereby enabling states to enact their own cannabis regulations free from undue federal interference. The vote marks the first time that members of Congress have ever voted to federally deschedule cannabis.

The Act also provides for the review and expungement of past cannabis convictions and provides reinvestments to those communities most adversely impacted by the drug war. It also prohibits the denial of federal aid to those who use cannabis in compliance with state law and allows physicians affiliated with the US Veterans Administration to authorize medical cannabis recommendations, among other changes. The measure is the most comprehensive piece of marijuana-related legislation ever approved by a body of Congress.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, who sponsored the bill, said: "States have led the way and continue to lead the way, but our federal laws have not kept pace with the obvious need for change. We need to catch up because of public support [in favor of legalizing marijuana] and because it is the right thing to do."

NORML's Political Director Justin Strekal praised the House Judiciary vote, stating, "Not only does this bill reverse the failed prohibition of cannabis, but it also provides pathways for opportunity and ownership in the emerging industry for those who have suffered the most under federal criminalization."

Chairman Nadler indicated that the next stop for the More Act could be a House floor vote, presuming that other committee chairs agree to waive their jurisdiction over the bill.

Stay tuned

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