Things are looking dim for #cannabis banking. I talked to @MikeCrapo yesterday and he said he has not talked to anyone about it being included in the Senate’s next covid aid bill. @SenCoryGardner also told me he wasn’t sure this is the best vehicle for it.
If banking isn’t added to covid aid, that greatly reduces the chances of it passing this year. Crapo and Gardner both said they still want to get it done, but they’ve been saying that since last fall. With election season approaching, there aren’t many days left for legislating.
It’s still possible that the watered-down appropriations language the House is currently considering could move through both chambers, but it leaves out a lot of the protections against money laundering, etc. that Crapo wants. So that could kill it too.
.@SenKevinCramer told me he doesn’t know if there’s “political will” to get #SAFEbanking attached to another bill. “I really haven’t heard anything that would give me a sense of momentum one way or the other.”
He added it needs to be attached to must-pass legislation to move.
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My parents in recent yrs have taken to getting a national forest pass to cut down their own tree because tree farm prices have skyrocketed.
This year she tells me “our tree is a little bit different, we weren’t sure at first but it’s growing on us.”
The tree:
The permit to cut down a national forest tree is $7.
I told her she got $7 worth of tree
She says it’s elegant and likes that it’s very tall (they’ve had one this tall before since you get to pick whatever size you want in the national forest for $7)
@SenSchumer took the podium tonight to usher through the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, which passed by unanimous consent.
The bill passed the House in July, and now heads to Biden's desk.
The bill, which is the product of two separate medical research bills introduced by @repblumenauer and @SenFeinstein/@GrassleyPress, expands medical marijuana research and protects doctors who discuss mmj with patients.
Note: One key element of the House bill — allowing scientists to purchase and research marijuana products commonly sold in legal recreational and medical dispensaries around the country — did not make it into the final version.
Really quick "how Congress works" moment: just because a bill has been introduced in Congress does not mean that it is a serious contender to be passed in any chamber.
There are **45** cannabis bills that come up in a basic search of the term in Congress.gov.
There's a bill that allows cannabis advertising.
There's a bill to clarify insurance laws for weed biz.
There's a bill to give weed biz SBA loan access.
There are -multiple- vets related weed bills.
There are -multiple- bills to federally decriminalize.
Some parts of some of these bills might sometimes get folded into something bigger -- like what Daines, Joyce, AOC, etc. are discussing with pairing the HOPE Act with the SAFE Banking Act. But they'll never pass all of those bills in any given year. Some will never pass.
New #safebanking news: Sen @SteveDaines told me he is open to adding the HOPE Act as part of “safe plus” legislation that could be included in an end of the year package.
HOPE is the @RepDaveJoyce/@AOC bill that gives states $$ to expunge cannabis-related records.
“We're open to some additions to [SAFE]. I think the HOPE Act is one,” Daines said. “But if it gets bigger than that, I think we're gonna have a problem.”
Daines also told me Monday night that he had a bipartisan meeting with Schumer planned for Tuesday to discuss the path forward for SAFE.
Yesterday @AOC told me that she'll be talking about her HOPE Act at today's Oversight subcommittee hearing on #cannabis. The hearing starts in any minute and will be streamed here: oversight.house.gov/legislation/he…
Ranking Member Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) just thanked Biden for his executive order looking at the scheduling of marijuana.
Raskin says this hearing is to see what can be done on cannabis in the next Congress, whichever party is in control.
Reminder that five states have adult-use/recreational marijuana legalization ballot measures on the docket this November: Arkansas, Missouri, North & South Dakota and Maryland.
ICYMI: South Dakota voters approved legal rec weed in 2020, but the result was thrown out by the state Supreme Court for language that didn't fall within the state's constitutional purview for ballot measures. argusleader.com/story/news/202…
All five states have already legal medical marijuana programs.