A number of states that we had been optimistic that legalization could happen are only focusing on coronavirus relief. We hoped this would have been a record year for marijuana legalization.
Advocates, stakeholders and lawmakers have been pushing for some form of cannabis reform to be inserted into COVID-19 legislation. The inclusion of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which was previously passed by the House as a standalone bill last year, represents a significant victory to that end. That said, it is unclear how the issue will fare in the Senate, whether as part of the COVID-19 response or otherwise.
According to the Marijuana Policy Project, there are approximately 3.09 million medical cannabis patients in the United States. These patients need medical cannabis to help them function in their daily lives, and that need does not go away just because the U.S. is in the midst of a global pandemic.
"I think between coronavirus and election season, we are in the bottom of the ninth," said Don Murphy, Marijuana Policy Project’s director of federal policies and a former Republican state lawmaker. "We do not have a whole lot of time for the other stuff."
“There’s no question that S. 54 would create jobs, produce tax revenue and be beneficial for Vermont’s economy,” Matt Simon, New England political director for the Marijuana Policy Project, told Marijuana Moment. “The legislature should make this bill a priority later in the summer, and Gov. Scott should agree to support it.”
“MPP understands that the City Council decided to exclude safety sensitive positions. However, MPP believes the proposed rule goes [beyond] what is required by” the bill, DeVaughn Ward, senior legislative counsel at MPP, said in written testimony to the commission. “We are particularly concerned by the inclusion of a limitation for anyone who drives daily, which would impact large number of working class New York City residents.”
A group of cannabis advocacy and industry organizations sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to include the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act or similar language in the next pandemic relief package, which would create a safe harbor for banks and other financial services providers to work with cannabis and ancillary businesses that are in compliance with state law.
While decriminalization is a preferable policy compared to the status quo of prohibition, it does not go nearly far enough to address the harms that the war on marijuana has caused for decades.
A Louisiana House committee approved a bill on Wednesday that would significantly expand the state’s medical marijuana program by letting doctors issue recommendations to patients for any debilitating condition. Lawmakers also advanced separate legislation to allow dispensaries to deliver products to patients’ homes.
With marijuana still illegal under federal law, the cannabis industry can't readily access traditional financing from banks. And cannabis companies can’t get the same emergency federal loan assistance as other businesses that are struggling during this time.