U.S. House Panel Passes Bill To Protect State Medical Cannabis Laws From DOJ Interference
Cannabis News Update July 20, 2021
R: Today in cannabis news: A prominent Maryland state legislator promises to place cannabis legalization on the ballot in 2022; a key state senator from Rhode Island states that legislators are working on a cannabis legalization agreement; and new spending bills that address federal drug and cannabis policy are approved by a U.S. House panel.
** R: First up: A prominent Maryland state legislator has promised that their colleagues will adopt a proposal to place statewide cannabis legalization on the ballot in 2022 as a referendum. They’ve also organized a cannabis working committee to determine how the reforms should be structured.
Despite having “personal concerns about encouraging marijuana use, particularly among children and young adults, the disparate criminal justice impact leads me to believe that the voters should have a say in the future of legalization,” said Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D).
This session, legalization initiatives began to advance in the state assembly, however no voting was conducted. A legalization measure backed by leading legislators, such as the Senate president, majority leader, and important panel heads, was heard in March by the Senate Finance Committee. In February, the House Judiciary Committee held a discussion on a similar cannabis bill.
Del. Jazz Lewis (D), who introduced the statewide cannabis legalization proposal on the floor, applauded the speaker’s efforts.
“As I have said many times, legalization must be grounded in equity and restorative justice,” said Del. Lewis. “I’ll continue to fight for just that!”
** R: Next up: Discussions on a joint proposal to legalize cannabis in the state of Rhode Island will proceed throughout the summer, according to a prominent state Senate figure, who expects movement after Labor Day in September.
After their body last month approved a cannabis reformation proposal, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D) told WPRI-TV that they’re not frustrated over the state House not yet pushing for legalization efforts, and that “all we really wanted to do was send it over and have them take a look at it.”
The Senate passed its legalization proposal prior to the budget deadline, but the House argued that additional time is required to balance the rival bills.
Though House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi (D) believes that reformation is “inevitable” in Rhode Island and will occur “soon,” they indicated last week that they expect to resume deliberations throughout the summer to blend conflicting proposed reforms with the aim of enacting a law in autumn.
“If and when we come back in the fall—which I know we will because we have to [confirm judicial nomination]—I don’t know what the House is going to do,” Sen. Ruggerio said.
** R: Last up: An influential U.S. House panel passed spending proposals and related reports that address a variety of cannabis and substance policy matters, such as requests to eliminate barriers to cannabis studies, acknowledging the life-saving prospects of secure consumption locations for illicit drugs, acknowledging the pain relieving capability of kratom, and pushing the advancement of methods to detect THC impairment.
Notably, the bill that passed the House Appropriations Committee would keep a current measure that protects state medicinal cannabis statutes from Justice Department interference.
Activists are hoping that further in the procedure, a larger clause would be included to prevent federal law enforcement from interfering with the application of any state-authorized cannabis legalization statute, such as those that permit recreational consumption.
Furthermore, the proposed legislation contains wording that would stop colleges from being penalized for doing cannabis studies.
** R: That was today’s buzz! Thanks for listening…for more cannabis news and insights from industry professionals, and a place to discuss these stories and others, visit TRICHOMES.com.
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