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New Democratic Congressional Marijuana Resolution Calls For Industry Equity And Pushes Trump To Advocate For International Reform At UN

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2 months ago

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Democrats in Congress have introduced a new marijuana resolution that urges officials to ensure equity in the industry and address the effects of the war on drugs, while pushing President Donald Trump to take the lead in pushing for global cannabis reform at the United Nations.

Representatives Troy Carter (D-LA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Lateefah Simon (D-CA) and Dina Titus (D-NV) — leaders of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus — introduced the latest version. Implementation of the Resolution on Emerging Cannabis Trades (RESPECT). on Thursday, along with additional sponsors.

The measure is largely the same as the version presented in the last session, with some additions.

“For decades, tough cannabis laws devastated Black, Brown and low-income communities. Today, those communities face new barriers, many of which prevent them from taking advantage of the opportunities offered by a multibillion-dollar industry,” Omar said in a press release.

“Congress has a responsibility to ensure that cannabis policy expands access to capital and invests in entrepreneurs whose communities are most affected by outdated drug laws,” he said.

The resolution calls for “actions to increase equity within cannabis policy and the legal cannabis market,” not only by promoting state and local decriminalization, but also the adoption of specific “best practices” around regulated markets.

The measure states that Trump should instruct administration officials to use the US’s “voice, vote and influence” to encourage the United Nations (UN) and its United Nations Commission on Drugs (CND) to “remove cannabis from international drug control treaties, abolish and pardon cannabis-related penalties, abolish and pardon penalties related to cannabis for pre-cannabis crimes, study and analyze the effects of cannabis control and international controls. legal goods”.

Carter said the ban on cannabis had “failed our community” and “disproportionately harmed people of color by driving mass incarceration, destroying families, taking away opportunities and burdening criminal records.”

“It’s time for the federal government to address the racial disparities in the cannabis space and create inclusive pathways for people to access economic wealth,” he said. he said.

According to the proposal, states and local governments are encouraged to “take appropriate action and take bold steps” to enact a variety of reforms designed to address disparities in participation in legal marijuana markets and to “address, reverse, and resolve the most devastating effects of the war on drugs.”

The section of the resolution on trends in reform was revised from the last version to note that Colorado and Washington State were the first to regulate cannabis more than a decade ago, and the states “have generated a total of nearly $25 billion in revenue from the use of legal mature sales of marijuana products.”

It also changed that Germany, among other European countries, has taken steps to end the ban within their borders since the previous version was introduced in Congress.

“We need to elevate the role of equity in the legal cannabis market and take bold, deliberate action to close persistent disparities,” said Simon. “The war on drugs has devastated communities of color, and it’s long past time to repair the damage and move beyond outdated and punitive cannabis policies.”

“I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this Resolution, which will serve as a significant step toward economic and restorative justice,” he said.

Titus, for his part, said: “For too long federal and state governments have unfairly prosecuted the use of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug.”

“The RESPECT Resolution is a critical step toward policy that addresses the disparities caused by outdated cannabis programming and the so-called Drug War,” he said. “As co-chair of the Cannabis Caucus, I am advancing solutions that will once and for all end the cycle of unjust incarceration and unequal enforcement.”

Among the best practices the legislation encourages are fundamental reforms that are currently at odds with federal laws on the books, such as eliminating criminal penalties for the use and possession of marijuana, and ensuring that public benefits such as housing cannot be denied to someone because of a cannabis conviction.

It calls for the creation of automatic expungement or record sealing processes for cannabis offenses, processes for re-sentencing those convicted of crimes whose sentences have been reduced or expunged, and “suspect-based drug testing for non-safety-related jobs.”

The latest version includes additional additions, such as requiring the country to “take a proactive approach and consider and consider laws and policies regarding interstate commerce and their potential impact on differences in the cannabis market.”

It also now encourages the adoption of policies that promote “fair labor standards and practices” in the cannabis market and “the creation of a robust education campaign to inform the public of important legal and public information, including consumer education, and the development of public education campaigns to prevent youth access and drive the impairment of cannabis.”

The resolution is also co-sponsored by Reps. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ). It is supported by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), Last Prisoner Project (LPP), Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) and NORML.

“The Drug Policy Alliance is proud to support the RESPECT Resolution, which calls for urgent action to ensure cannabis markets and policies are fair for all communities,” said Cat Packer, DPA’s director of drug markets and regulation.

“Highlighting state and local best practices, supporting global decriminalization and calling on states to end criminal penalties, restore rights and ensure fair participation in the emerging cannabis economy, the resolution sets a clear path to meaningful reform,” he said. “At a time when criminalization remains the law of the land and inequality remains deeply embedded in the cannabis market and politics, this resolution is timely and critically needed.”

Jason Ortiz, LPP’s director of strategic initiatives, said the organization is “grateful to the sponsors of the RESPECT Resolution for their leadership in addressing the deep racial and economic disparities created by decades of the criminalization of cannabis.”

“This resolution recognizes that while state cannabis laws have evolved, too many people and communities are still living with the consequences of outdated federal policies,” he said. “By calling for clean records, community investment, and fair licensing, this resolution serves as a vital reminder that those most harmed by prohibition must be able to participate in and benefit from any legal cannabis market.”

Morgan Fox, NORML’s political director, said it’s “important to remind lawmakers of the ongoing harms caused by marijuana prohibition and the opportunities to begin addressing them through common sense legislation.”

“This resolution should call on Congress to prioritize the repeal of failed criminalization policies, as well as a plan to do so in a way that aims to repair the damage caused by decades of unfair enforcement,” he said.

The measure is being introduced on the same day that bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers introduced a bill. allow doctors to administer Schedule I drugs such as psilocybin and MDMA to patients with life-threatening conditions.

Mike Latimer’s photo.

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Technical advances in cannabis curing focus on water activity and terpene stability

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6 hours ago

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January 18, 2026

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Curing is one of those phases of cannabis production that almost everyone agrees is important, but that importance hardly translates into cannabis facilities. It’s understandable that growers want to maximize their canopy space first and foremost. After all, more flowers, more income. However, the irony is that by the time a plant reaches the curing room, most of the money has already been spent. The genetics are locked in, the lights have done their job, the rooms have been marked, the harvest has been carefully handled. And yet, quality is often validated or left behind.

Simon Knobel of Calyx Containers has spent an amazing amount of time thinking about this disintegration. The company started about 9 years ago, when Simon and his co-founder Alex were still in school and adult cannabis was becoming legal in Massachusetts. “Back then, cannabis packaging meant pill bottles, borrowed wholesale from the pharmaceutical world and reused without much thought,” explains Simon. “Our initial instinct wasn’t to do something revolutionary. It was just to build something that made sense for cannabis.”

As the company developed a range of packaging formats, the focus was on quality at the point of sale. “Scent retention, ease of use, shelf life, that was the pace of our design process. What took longer to fully register was that the degradation didn’t just happen after packaging. In many cases, it was already baked in during curing.”

Simon and Calyx did extensive market research to understand what was happening with quality degradation. “It’s good to talk not only with operators, but with consumers.” A story stuck. Simon recalls interviewing a client who was on a ski trip with his family and trying to hide the fact that he had cannabis with him. This awkwardness of smell, discretion and manipulation became a design problem. The sliding cover, integrated gasket, meant the elimination of the twisting motion that gave some users a literal pain in the wrist. But it also opened up a deeper line of research.

As Calyx began to talk more seriously with growers, a recurring question came up. Where exactly does quality start to slip? To answer this, the company partnered with the Cannabis Research Coalition and worked with Dr. Allison Justice on research based on the cure. “What we found was that it wasn’t particularly comfortable for anyone relying on legacy methods,” says Simon. “One of the biggest drivers of terpene preservation was the stability of water activity. When water activity drops below 0.55 aW, the stomata begin to collapse, then shrink, then break. At that point, the mono-terpenes escape.”

These mono-terpenes are responsible for most of the aromas associated with quality cannabis. “They are also volatile in nature. Once they’re gone, they’re gone,” highlighted Simon.

© Calyx Vessels

Basic methods and alternatives
Traditional healing methods are based on burping. Opening containers, exchanging air, manually regulating humidity. “This methodology works, but it also introduces oxygen. In addition, the plant material is also subject to mechanical stress. Both oxygen and mechanical stress accelerate degradation, thus hampering quality.”

Calyx Cure was designed as an alternative to that ritual. “Instead of active intervention, Calyx Cure uses a passive atmospheric film with selective permeation properties. The layers are designed to allow specific gases to move through the material while others are restricted. Biological curing processes continue, but without opening the container, without introducing excess oxygen and without handling the flower.”

In controlled studies, Calyx saw a 33% improvement in monoterpene profile preservation compared to traditional approaches such as turkey pouches. “Practically speaking, that first hit of aroma you get when you open a jar, driven largely by monoterpenes, is intact.”

Complicating the picture is that curing is not reversible. There is a persistent belief that if cannabis dries out too much, there are no moisture packs or other interventions that can bring it back. “Excessive drying slows down the enzymatic reactions, alters the aging process and permanently changes the composition of the terpenes. Once the quality is lost at that stage, the bottle cannot revive it,” he said.

© Calyx Vessels

Curing and speed to market
Therefore, post-harvest processes cannot be the last element of cannabis facility design. “Sometimes speed or short-term cost savings drive the decision. Cure less, move product faster and assume the container will handle the rest.” Market dynamics don’t help either. When a new market opens and the shelves are empty, speed is rewarded and cutting corners can be the difference between hitting dispensaries later.

Calyx approaches it as a manufacturing and engineering problem rather than a branding exercise. Unlike much of the packaging industry, which operates largely as a middleman, Calyx operates its own factory in Utah. “That vertical integration allows us to iterate quickly. New designs can be prototyped in 1 or 2 weeks.”

This can be a huge plus, as quality control is a hot topic in the wider world of agriculture, not just cannabis. The industry often talks about wanting nutraceutical or food standards. These industries have already solved the complexity of the supply chain. They know how to produce in one region and deliver consistently to another. Cannabis, especially if it wants to move globally, will need similar discipline.”

And as with food packaging, sustainability is part of that equation in cannabis. Calyx has extensively studied compostable and hemp-based structures. “Compostable materials struggle with terpene conservation and water activity control. If the package breathes too much, the plant pays the price.”

Instead, Calyx’s approach to sustainability is based on reducing the use of materials at the manufacturing level. “The cover molded joint is a good example,” explains Simon. “Traditional seals require cutting circular inserts from large sheets, creating huge waste. We’ve designed molds where a small amount of polymer forms the cover and joint in one plane, creating almost zero waste and a fully recyclable component.”

Healing, it seems, is not passive waiting. “It’s an active and fragile process,” says Simon. “And like most fragile things in cannabis, it benefits from being engineered rather than inherited.”

For more information:
Calyx vessels
1991 W Parkway Blvd. West Valley City, UT, 84119-2026
724-303-7481
(email protected)
calyxcontainers.com

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Michigan Lawmakers Weigh Bill To Create Statewide Cannabis Reference Lab To Standardize Testing

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6 hours ago

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January 18, 2026

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The facility “will allow us to inspect test results from private laboratories.”

By Katherine Dailey, Michigan Advance

Seeking to ensure stricter safety controls in Michigan’s cannabis industry, Representative Mike Mueller (R-Linden) introduced a bill to the Michigan House Rules Committee on Thursday that would establish a statewide cannabis reference laboratory to standardize testing facilities across the state.

The legislation, House Bill 4501, would establish a lab that was first funded in fiscal year 2024 appropriations and has been in the process of opening ever since.

Derek Sova, policy and legislative assistant for the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency, explained to the committee that this bill was essential to ensure that laboratories had explicit authority to possess marijuana, given that it is still a federally illegal substance.

Currently, there are 17 privately owned and state-licensed cannabis testing facilities or laboratories in Michigan, Sova explained.

But some manufacturers will engage in what they call “lab shopping,” where multiple labs test their products until they get the results they want.

This laboratory, he said, “will allow us to inspect the results of private laboratory tests.”

“We are not looking to take responsibility for the test,” Sova continued. “Our goal is to make sure that the labs that do the testing themselves, that the labs get the correct test results that have to do with the testing.”

He added that the laboratory will also provide the opportunity to carry out research in-house, as opposed to asking a private laboratory to conduct state examinations.

“What this would do is to have a central state-regulated lab that would be able to take samples from every lab that tests marijuana to make sure they’re not getting bad samples or that the bigger producers are manipulating some of the findings to make sure they’re not pushing things that could go wrong with marijuana,” Mueller said.

Representatives from the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association and the state Office of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs also expressed support. invoice.

This story was first published by the Michigan Advance.

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Vivent Biosignals & Green Laniel join forces to bring plant-driven agriculture to the US

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1 day ago

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January 17, 2026

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Vivent Biosignals and Green Laniel Consulting have announced a partnership to accelerate plant-driven irrigation and irrigation in key U.S. agricultural markets. Green Laniel Consulting is a US-focused provider of agronomic solutions led by Mauricio Manotas.

By combining Vivent’s ability to decode plant biosignals in real-time using plant biosensors, machine learning and AI with Green Laniel’s deep experience in agronomy, grower operations and US market access, the partnership allows growers to make decisions based on what really matters: how the plant itself is responding.

© Vivent Biosignals

The partnership will cover a variety of crops and production systems, initially plant-driven irrigation and greenhouses for perennial crops, including potatoes, directly guided by plant feedback.

“By combining Vivint’s plant-level intelligence with Green Laniel’s strong presence and agronomic leadership in the US, we are enabling a new generation of plant-driven farming systems. This partnership helps growers improve yields and quality while significantly increasing resource efficiency and sustainability.” says Mauricio Manotas, Green Laniel Consulting.

For more information:
Vivent Biosignals
Tel.: +41 79 5114627
Email: (email protected)
https://vivent-biosignals.com/



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