Browsing Federal Law

Last Wednesday, U.S. Reps. Ed Perlmutter (D-Golden), and Denny Heck (D-Wash.) introduced a bill that aims at correcting the federal banking rules surrounding medical marijuana industry. The Marijuana Business Access to Banking Act, which is backed by eighteen U.S. House members, would prevent federal regulators from prohibiting or dissuading banks, credit unions and other financial institutions from lending money to or taking deposits from state-legal medical cannabis companies. Because of current federal banking laws, marijuana-related businesses are forced to operate as cash-only enterprises — even in Colorado and Washington where cannabis is legalized recreationally. The bills sponsors …

A resolution that calls on the federal government to respect local marijuana laws was passed on Monday with undivided approval from the US Conference of Mayors. It’s been nearly eight months since Colorado and Washington passed legislation to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults, and thus far the Obama administration and Attorney General Eric Holder have yet to retaliate. This is despite Holder saying repeatedly that the administration’s response is coming “relatively soon.” Despite promises from President Obama such as, “I’m not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this …

According to a group of leading scientists, the outlawing of psychoactive drugs such as cannabis and psychedelics is the worst case of scientific censorship of modern times. The paper, Effects of Schedule I Drug Laws on Neuroscience Research and Treatment Innovation (abstract only), was published today in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience and was written by Professor David J. Nutt of Imperial College London, Leslie A. King & David E. Nichols. The authors argued that the outlawing of drugs such as cannabis, psychedelic mushrooms and other psychoactive substances has thwarted research into the potentially …

A recent poll in the New England Journal of Medicine found that 76% of doctors would recommend the use of medical marijuana. The poll about the recommending of medicinal marijuana by physicians was conducted during a live debate that occurred on the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) website. Doctors were given a theoretical case study in which a 68-year-old woman has breast cancer metastatic to the lungs and the thoracic and lumbar spine. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy and reports having low energy, minimal appetite, and substantial pain in her spine. She has …

Several members of the House of Representatives introduced the “Respect State Marijuana Laws Act” in Congress last Friday, April 12th. This act could have a serious impact on the MMJ industry. Late last year on November 18th, legislators including Polis and Blumenauer wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart encouraging them to respect the recreational laws in Colorado and Washington. This was after Polis’s showdown with Leonhart in June, where the DEA administrator refused to admit that marijuana is less harmful than crack, methamphetamines, heroine, and prescription pills. All she has to …

Earlier this month, lawmakers introduced a marijuana tax and regulation bill as well as a bill to legalize the production of industrial hemp. Yesterday, the same group of co-sponsors introduced their second round of legislation: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-CO) introduced his House Resolution 689 bill, the “States’ Medical Marijuana Protection Act.” Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) introduced his House Resolution 710, the “Truth in Trials Act.” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and three of his co-sponsors filed the “Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013.” Blumenauer’s States’ Medical Marijuana Protection Act …