Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reaffirmed his commitment to expeditiously advancing a revised marijuana banking bill—and he says he will also push to attach legislation on cannabis expungements and gun rights for medical marijuana patients.

One week before the Senate Banking Committee is set to vote on the amended Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, which was formally filed on Wednesday, Schumer released a statement shared exclusively in advance with Marijuana Moment that touted the bipartisan agreement and previewed plans to further expand the bill.

“For too long, the federal government has continued to punish marijuana users and business owners—even when doing so is actively harmful to our country,” he said. “This ‘war on drugs’ has turned into a war on people and communities—specifically people and communities of color—and a war on business.”

“This agreement allows cannabis businesses that have traditionally operated in cash to finally have the opportunity to accept credit and debit cards, allowing them to grow their businesses, pay their employees, protect their customers and ensure public safety,” he said.

The majority leader added that he intends to bring the SAFER Banking Act to the floor “with all due speed,” and he said he’s

Read full article on Marijuana Moment

A congressional committee next week will vote on a bill to protect people from being denied federal employment or security clearances due to marijuana use—and to provide relief for people who lost opportunities due to cannabis in the past.

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will hold a markup on the legislation, the Cannabis Users’ Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act, on Wednesday, Chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced late Friday.

“Every year, qualified and dedicated individuals seeking to serve our country are unable to secure federal jobs and security clearances because the federal government has not caught up with the widely established legal use of medical and recreational cannabis,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the bill’s lead sponsor, said when he filed the measure in July.

The change “will eliminate the draconian, failed and obsolete marijuana policies that prevent talented individuals from becoming honorable public servants in their own government,” he said.

A separate cannabis bill, meanwhile, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, is scheduled for consideration a week later, on September 27, in a Senate panel.

Raskin’s employment and security clearance bill says that “current or past use of marijuana by a covered person may not be used in

Read full article on Marijuana Moment

The California Assembly has approved a Senate-passed psychedelics legalization bill, sending it back to the opposite chamber for concurrence on recent amendments before the measure potentially heads to the governor’s desk.

The Assembly cleared the legislation from Sen. Scott Wiener (D) in a 42-11 vote on Wednesday—a significant victory for advocates after an earlier version of the psychedelics reform measure that also passed the Senate ultimately stalled out in the Assembly last year. The bill would legalize the possession and cultivation of small amounts of certain entheogenic plants and fungi for adults 21 and older.

“California’s veterans, first responders, and others struggling with PTSD, depression, and addiction deserve access to these promising plant medicines,” Wiener said in a press release. “SB 58 has prudent safeguards in place after we incorporated feedback from three years of deep engagement with a broad array of stakeholders.”

“We know these substances are not addictive, and they show tremendous promise in treating many of the most intractable conditions driving our nation’s mental health crisis,” he said. It’s time to stop criminalizing people who use psychedelics for healing or personal well-being.”

SB 58 previously passed the Senate & returns for a final sign-off.

— Senator

Read full article on Marijuana Moment