Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.
Let’s start with Congress, which had a very busy week. On Tuesday, the Senate Banking Committee had a hearing on cannabanking. Full video, as well as member statements and witness testimony are available at the committee website.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NJ) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) have introduced a bill calling for the decriminalizing of marijuana. It would also expunge past criminal convictions.
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) has introduced a bill allowing cannabis businesses (operating in states where it is legal) to obtain insurance services. What the SAFE Act would do for banking, the CLAIM act would do for insurance.
In other federal news, hemp is a big topic of discussion, specifically the eagerly anticipated rules on hemp and CBD from the Food and Drug Administration. FDA representatives headed to Congress to discuss this topic yesterday. Full video of the hearing and witness testimony is available at the committee’s website.
Speaking of hemp, the states have been active this week as well. The Ohio legislature passed a bill allowing in-state hemp cultivation. It also allows forthe production of dietary supplements, cosmetics and pet products. Again, those federal rules can’t come soon enough.
And a hemp boom is on in Virginia. Over 800 farmers have applied to grow hemp.
In other state news, retail sales of medical marijuana are imminent in Louisiana. In Utah, growers have been chosen for their medicinal cannabis program. Police in Miami-Dade County will need more than the smell of marijuana to detain people, now that hemp is legal in the state of Florida. And in Texas, the difficulty of distinguishing between hemp and cannabis has led some cities to drop possession charges.
See you next week!