*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).
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is urging the adoption of a minimum global corporate income tax.
Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass. 4th District), spoke to Cheddar on how Democrats were insistent on passing Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan even without bipartisan assistance.
Utah’s governor has signed a law requiring biological fathers to pay half of a woman’s out-of-pocket pregnancy costs.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Heather Boushey, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, spoke to Cheddar about the Biden administration's positive outlook on the future of U.S. jobs and the economy.
Major League Baseball has moved the All-Star Game from Atlanta’s Truist Park, a response to Georgia enacting a new law last month restricting voting rights.
A Capitol Police officer has been killed after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol and then emerged wielding a knife.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance Friday to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting a COVID-19 test or going into quarantine.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth discusses her support for President Biden's infrastructure plan and how it would potentially help improve the economy.
President Biden has named a racially diverse and overwhelmingly female group to federal and other judgeships. His first list of judicial nominees includes three Black women for U.S. courts of appeals.
