Medical Marijuana Zone

Today President Joe Biden announced that he will pardon people with federal convictions for simple possession of cannabis. Going further, he announced that he will direct the U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to begin the process of reviewing the classification of cannabis […]

Three Democratic lawmakers intent on reforming the nation’s cannabis policy are seeking input on a federal marijuana legalization bill with a letter sent to their colleagues in the Senate on Thursday. The letter written by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer of New York, Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden of Oregon and New Jersey’s Sen. Cory […]

Federal Legislation to Facilitate Interstate Marijuana Commerce Introduced | NORML WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced legislation to allow for interstate commerce when it comes to state-legal cannabis programs. “Interstate commerce is good for both patients and consumers, as it will decrease the amount of time it […]

USDA Intends to Finalize Federal Regulations Governing Commercial Hemp Cultivation by Late Summer | NORML WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Department of Agriculture is aiming to finalize regulations governing the licensed production of industrial hemp by this August, according to a notice filed this week in the Federal Register and first reported by Marijuana Moment. The USDA […]

Senate Majority Leader: Farm Bill Will Lift Federal Hemp Ban | NORML WASHINGTON, DC — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has reaffirmed that provisions lifting the federal prohibition of hemp will be included in the engrossed language of H.R. 2: The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka the 2018 Farm Bill). The must-pass legislation is […]

McConnell Dampens Prospects for Federal Sentencing Reform in 2018 | Phillip Smith WASHINGTON, DC — Prospects for a major federal sentencing reform bill brightened on Wednesday with President Trump’s announcement that he would support the effort, but by week’s end, those prospects dimmed as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told the president he wouldn’t bring the […]

Huge interest in the medicinal potential of CBD has catalyzed a rebirth of industrial hemp in the U.S. But is hemp the best source of CBD?

Reconciled Farm Bill Includes Provisions Lifting Federal Hemp Ban | NORML WASHINGTON, DC — House and Senate lawmakers have agreed to a reconciled version of H.R. 2: The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka the 2018 Farm Bill), which includes provisions lifting the federal prohibition of industrial hemp. “For the first time in nearly a hundred years, commercial hemp […]

Reconciled Farm Bill to Include Provisions Lifting Federal Hemp Ban | NORML WASHINGTON, DC — House and Senate lawmakers have agreed in principle to a reconciled version of H.R. 2: The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka the 2018 Farm Bill), which includes provisions lifting the federal prohibition of industrial hemp. The hemp-specific provisions – which Senate Majority Speaker Mitch […]