By Angela Underwood National Cannabis Chamber of Commerce (NCCC) Policy Director Dustin McDonald is confident real cannabis policy is finally taking place after almost a century of prohibition. Based out of Washington D.C., McDonald, who is also the interim policy director for Americans for Safe Access, and Weedmaps vice president for government relations, works closely with federal and state legislators looking to change cannabis history. He told the Daily Weed Report the recent House approval of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE) is pivotal toward cannabis refo ..read more

By Angela Underwood A year ago, the Daily Weed Report interviewed the sponsor of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Act, Rep. Ed Perlmutter. A year later, Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) admits he had no idea he would be one of the key legislators to assist in prohibition’s demise.  “I never thought I would be carrying the flag on reforming cannabis policies, but the fact of the matter is that 97.7% of the U.S. population live in a place where some form of recreational or medical marijuana is legal,” Perlmutter told the Daily Weed Report.  Long before the U.S ..read more

By Angela Underwood The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act Friday, making marijuana history. A vote of 228-164 now welcomes the MORE Act to the U.S. Senate Floor, which, if passed and approved, will lift the federal ban on cannabis.  Nearly a hundred years since cannabis prohibition, the federal government began to dismantle the century-old taboo decriminalization on Dec. 4, 2020.  However, while marijuana legalization is making history on a federal level, the lack of federal support hasn’t stopped some of the 50 U.S ..read more

By Angela Underwood The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act could end cannabis prohibition in one fell swoop as U.S. Congress removes it from the Controlled Substance Act litany of illegal narcotic drugs. According to the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), it should. Long before decriminalizing cannabis was a campaign plus for politicians, the Washington D.C.-based non-profit foundation has fought for American cannabis consumers in the fight for legalization since 1970. Decades later, politicians must concede to cons ..read more

By Angela Underwood Groundbreaking cannabis legislation Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE), that planned to pass in 2019, could pass this week, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD).  If passed, the legislation would lift the U.S. Federal ban on marijuana, changing the medical and recreational marijuana industry’s face. The Maryland leader announced the first votes for MORE, initially introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), will occur on Wednesday, Dec. 2, and Friday, Dec. 4. The possibility of passi ..read more

By Angela Underwood Sen. Gerald Cardinale has served the 39th District since 1982, with the last few years heavily dedicated to campaigning against the legalization of recreational cannabis. However, the long-time GOP lawmaker knows when to accept defeat, telling the New York Daily Weed Report Monday he heard Garden State residents loud and clear by the ballot vote of 66.25%.  “I can’t oppose the will of the people on a matter like this,” Sen. Cardinale said. “I still believe what I believe; I was part of the third of the public that voted against it, but I am also a proponent of democrac ..read more

By Angela Underwood You can say what you want about New Jersey, and the Garden State will still not care. That notorious bad-attitude makes the tiny East Coast state notable for the Italian mafia and famous MTV reality beach shows. Jersey gets what it wants, and it wanted recreational cannabis this election year. January 1, 2021, New York will covet what New Jersey has for the first time. Gov. Andrew Cuomo called a 2019 Pot Summit, with tri-state leaders including Garden State Gov. Phil Murphy. Little did Gov. Murphy know then, his state would be the first to legalize cannabis, making New Jers ..read more

On November 3, 2020, New Jersey voters approved a Referendum to Legalize Marijuana by voting to approve a state constitutional amendment. The newly passed amendment to Legalize Marijuana “growth, cultivation, processing, manufacturing, preparing, packaging, transferring, and retail purchasing and consumption of cannabis, or products created from or which include cannabis, by persons 21 years of age or older.” The amendment will take effect on January 1, 2021, making New Jersey the first Mid-Atlantic state pass Marijuana Legalization. However, that does not mean that legal marijuana sales can b ..read more

Following the 2016 election, eight of the nine states that had Marijuana on the Ballot successfully passed legislation including Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, and Nevada. Now, marijuana proponents are hoping for another green wave following the 2020 election on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Proponents of legalized marijuana believe that more states will see Marijuana on the Ballot, especially as a way to cure social justice and budgetary problems.  “We’ve seen public support continue to grow every year,” said Karen O’Keefe, Director ..read more

A Recreational Marijuana Legalization Amendment is on the November 3, 2020 Ballet in New Jersey, giving residents the power to decide whether a state constitutional amendment will be passed legalizing marijuana for persons 21 years and older. Gavel and marijuana. Concept about drug vs justice. After winning the Democratic primary in 2017, then-Governor-elect Phil Murphy stated, “The criminalization of marijuana has only served to clog our courts and cloud people’s futures, so we will legalize marijuana. And while there are financial benefits, this is overwhelmingly about doing what is right an ..read more