*By Jacqueline Corba*
Voters are effectively pressuring lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to publicly support the easing cannabis laws, said the deputy director of the National Organization for Marijuana Laws.
In an interview Tuesday with Cheddar, the deputy director, Paul Armentano said politicians were realizing that marijuana enjoyed greater popularity than they did.
"With the midterm elections approaching, more and more members of Congress from both parties now acknowledge that advocating for marijuana policy reform is not a political liability, rather its a political opportunity," said Armentano.
Last Friday ー on 4/20, of all days ー Sen. Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, introduced a bill to decriminalize weed. A few days earlier, the majority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, had introduced a bill to remove hemp from the list of controlled substances.
Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) have called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to stop using federal anti-drug laws to block medical marijuana research. And even President Trump changed his tune last week when he promised Sen. Cory Gardner, a Colorado Republican, he would support legal protections in states where marijuana is legal.
A majority of Americans ー 60 percent, according to a Pew Research Center poll ー said they support marijuana legalization.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/inside-the-momentum-driving-politicians-to-back-cannabis).
Fresh off a high-profile loss against Amazon in Bessemer, Alabama, the union movement in America is more fired up than it's been in a generation.
The headlines from President Biden's first speech to Congress, plus why he's got reason to be sounding optimistic about the state of the pandemic. And would you let a Walmart worker stock your fridge?
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dropped by 13,000 last week to 553,000, the lowest level since the pandemic hit last March and another sign the economy is recovering from the coronavirus recession.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stuck to his guns on Wednesday following a two-day policy meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee.
Former President Donald Trump is defending Rudy Giuliani, his longtime personal lawyer, after federal investigators executed search warrants at Rudy Giuliani’s Manhattan residence and office.
President Joe Biden declares “America is rising anew” as he calls for an expansion of federal programs to drive the economy past the coronavirus pandemic and broadly extend the social safety net on a scale not seen in decades.
Jill and Carlo discuss the CDC's updated mask guidance, a deeper dive into the catastrophe in India, what POTUS will pitch to Congress, and the biggest public health breakthrough of the decade that you haven't heard about.
India’s official death toll has passed 200,000, but the true number is likely far higher.
MindMed CEO J.R. Rahn spoke to Cheddar about the psychedelic mental health therapy company taking the big step forward going public on the Nasdaq exchange.
President Joe Biden spent his first 100 days in office encouraging Americans to mask up and stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19.
