Senators are reportedly planning to propose a variety of amendments to a bipartisan marijuana banking bill at Wednesday’s Senate Banking Committee markup, several sources familiar with the discussions say.

While the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act was formally introduced last week following weeks of bipartisan negotiations, there is still evidently disagreement among members over issues such as cannabis industry access to stock exchanges, banking regulations aimed at preventing discriminatory enforcement, broad justice-focused marijuana reform and more.

It’s not clear which amendments may ultimately be filed, but there’s also talk among certain Democratic members about moving to significantly expand the bill’s social equity provisions, which would likely come up against strong resistance from GOP lawmakers as supporters work to bring the legislation to the floor and over to the Republican-controlled House.

“There are plenty of Democrats who aren’t satisfied with banking alone. They want more,” Don Murphy, director of government relations for the Marijuana Leadership Campaign and a former Republican Maryland lawmaker, told Marijuana Moment on Tuesday.

“It’s likely they will offer amendments and then withdraw them. They can say, ‘This is what I like but I know the votes aren’t there. This isn’t the vehicle or this

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Ohio’s secretary of state has ordered a county election board to certify a local marijuana decriminalization initiative for the November ballot—meaning that three Ohio localities will be deciding on the reform at the same time voters across the state will have the chance to pass a full legalization measure.

Early voting for military and overseas voters began on Friday. And, on top of statewide legalization on the ballot, voters in the villages of Harbor View, Risingsun and Sugar Grove will also see local initiatives to decriminalize possession of up to 200 grams of cannabis for personal use. That’s a higher possession limit than what would be permitted under the statewide legalization initiative, which would allow adults to have up to 2.5 ounces (about 70 grams).

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) intervened to ensure that Harbor View would see decriminalization on the ballot after the Lucas County Board of Elections voted not to certify the activist-led cannabis measure in light of a local prosecutor’s concerns. After a review, he ordered the board to reverse its decision and qualify what is titled “The OG Wild Bill Marihuana Ordinance.”

Chad Thompson, executive director of the Sensible Movement Coalition (SMC) that has

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Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) says a bipartisan marijuana banking will pass “decisively” out of his panel next week, as senators discuss possible tweaks on its path to the floor and anti-drug advocates decry the reform as a public safety hazard.

The revised Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act that’s due for a committee markup next Wednesday might not enjoy the same level of support as other unrelated bills that recently moved out of the panel, but Brown told Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo that he still expects a “strong majority” will approve it.

The chairman said he isn’t anticipating “many amendments” when it reaches the floor. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has committed to attaching changes related to state-level cannabis expungements and gun rights for medical cannabis patients—but beyond that, Brown said generally “there will be enough agreement that we will keep the bill together and make minor changes.”

NEW EXCLUSIVE:

Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown on SAFER Banking Act: “we’ll pass it decisively”#SAFEBanking #cannabisindustry https://t.co/g9P3nD6KuX pic.twitter.com/bYZZvoBBc0

— @askapol (@ask_a_pol) September 22, 2023

He did mention another possible amendment related to a “credit card bank issue,” but it’s unclear what he’s specifically

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