Tag Archives: marijuana

Marijuana Moment reports: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) included marijuana legalization in his budget proposal on Tuesday, setting the stage for another reform push in the legislature as the 2020 session gets underway. The move comes as a new poll shows that voter support for ending cannabis prohibition is at its highest level ever in the state. “Legalize adult …

Marijuana Moment reports: Joe Biden reaffirmed that he’s opposed to legalizing marijuana without further studying its potential health risks. In an interview with The New York Times editorial board that was published on Friday, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate was asked to explain his “more moderate approach” to cannabis policy when nearly all of his primary opponents, as well as …

USA Today reports: It’s a new year and, for Illinois, a new era of recreational marijuana. Weed dispensaries across the state opened their doors before sunrise Wednesday, welcoming long lines of customers — some who had been waiting since 4 a.m. “Cheers to lighting up the start of 2020!” one dispensary, Sunnyside, wrote on its Facebook page. Under Illinois law, …

ESPN reports: Marijuana will be removed from the list of drugs of abuse and will be treated the same as alcohol as part of changes announced Thursday to the joint drug agreement between MLB and the players’ association. In addition, suspensions for marijuana use will be dropped from the minor league drug program. Until now, big league players who were …

CBS News reports: Joe Biden’s opposition to pot has apparently gone up in smoke. The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president on Monday rolled back his stance that marijuana is a “gateway drug” — and wrongly claimed that he had never said so in the first place. “I don’t think it is a gateway drug. There’s no evidence …

Business Insider reports: Former Vice President and 2020 Democratic hopeful Joe Biden doubled down on his reserved stance over legalizing marijuana and said his questions over its status as a gateway drug hold him back from supporting legalization. Biden was speaking at a Las Vegas town hall when he claimed that “there’s not nearly been enough evidence” to confirm if …

Courthouse News reports: Senator Bernie Sanders on Friday proposed nationwide legalization of marijuana, to “end the horrifically destructive war on drugs,” that he said “disproportionately targeted people of color and ruined the lives of millions of Americans.” “We’re going to legalize marijuana and end the horrifically destructive war on drugs,” Sanders said in a statement, promising to use executive action …

Politico reports: The surgeon general Thursday issued an advisory cautioning young people and pregnant people against using marijuana, warning it poses risks to developing brains. HHS officials said the best science available suggests no amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or for youth is known to be safe. Surgeon General Jerome Adams’ advisory was the first his office issued on …

The Albany Times-Union reports: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Monday that further decriminalizes marijuana use in New York. The bill was introduced by Democrats in the waning hours of the recent legislative session after it became clear that full legalization of recreational use would not happen this year. It was seen as a compromise between parties who were opposed to …

The Associated Press reports: Illinois’ new governor delivered on a top campaign promise Tuesday by signing legislation that makes the state the 11th to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use and the second to approve it through the Legislature rather than the ballot box. Legalization in Illinois also means that nearly 800,000 people with criminal records for purchasing …

CNN reports: Joe Biden supports decriminalizing marijuana, a Biden campaign spokesman told CNN, but the former vice president isn’t going as far as calling for the drug to be legalized on the federal level. “Nobody should be in jail for smoking marijuana,” Biden told voters at a Tuesday house party in Nashua, New Hampshire. Asked by CNN if the former …

CBS News reports: As people around the country mark 4/20 — the unofficial holiday celebrating marijuana — U.S. officials have released new guidance around marijuana for immigrants hoping to earn U.S. citizenship. Officials said Friday that immigrants involved with cannabis in any way — even in states where it has been legalized — could disqualify them from naturalization. New guidance …

CBS News reports: Sixty-five percent of Americans now think marijuana should be legal — a record high in CBS News polling. Most view marijuana as less harmful than alcohol and believe it is less dangerous than other drugs. Many opponents of legalization, however, think it leads to a rise in crime and most favor the federal government taking action to …

The New York Times reports: Most employers in New York City would no longer be able to force job applicants to take drug tests for marijuana use, under a bill overwhelmingly approved this week by the City Council. If the drug-screening law is enacted, it would put New York in relatively uncharted territory. Several drug policy and employment experts said …

The Associated Press reports: New Mexico took a step toward legalizing recreational marijuana when its House approved a bill that would allow state-run stores and require customers to carry a receipt with their cannabis or face penalties. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has expressed guarded support for recreational marijuana legislation that addresses concerns about child access, road safety and safeguarding …

The Hill reports: Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) on Monday expressed support for the federal legalization of marijuana as he mulls a potential presidential bid in 2020. O’Rourke sent an email to supporters in which he backed the repeal of the federal criminalization of marijuana and called for the records of those jailed over marijuana possession to be expunged. “Giving …

Reuters reports: Marijuana producer Canopy Growth has roped in lifestyle guru Martha Stewart as an adviser to help develop and launch a line of pot-based products for both humans and animals, it said on Thursday. Stewart, a 90s icon who became a household name through her cooking and lifestyle shows, co-hosts a show with rapper Snoop Dogg, who made headlines …

CNBC reports: Sen. Cory Booker introduced a bill on Thursday to legalize marijuana nationwide as he mounts his presidential campaign. Co-sponsors of the bill, known as the Marijuana Justice Act, include fellow 2020 contenders Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand. Booker first introduced the bill in 2017, but it was not taken up for a vote. Currently …

Sen. Kamala Harris appeared on New York City’s popular Breakfast Club radio show this morning, where she revealed that she smoked marijuana “a long time ago” and that she “definitely inhaled.” Last year Harris came out for legalizing marijuana on the federal level, co-sponsoring Sen. Cory Booker’s Marijuana Justice Act. She has also called for more research into the drug’s …

The Baltimore Sun reports: Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby [photo] announced Tuesday her office would cease prosecuting people for possessing marijuana regardless of quantity or criminal history. Calling the move a monumental policy shift, Mosby said she has asked the courts to vacate marijuana convictions against nearly 5,000 people. These convictions have saddled thousands of Baltimore residents with criminal records …