*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).
Advertising analytics company DoubleVerify found in a report that there was a 21 percent increase in "inflammatory news and political content" on websites following January 6.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) discussed the need for stronger cybersecurity measures for the U.S. prior to the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on the SolarWinds data breaches in 2020.
The COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. has topped 500,000, all but matching the number of Americans killed in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam combined.
The Celtics and Vistaprint have partnered on the #PowerForward campaign that sets out to provide small, Black-owned businesses in the Boston area $25,000 grants.
500K Covid Deaths, Texas Utility Bills & Arctic Milestone
In a significant defeat for former President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court is declining to step in to halt the turnover of his tax records to a New York state prosecutor.
The surge in pricing is hitting people who have chosen to pay wholesale prices for their power, which is typically cheaper than paying fixed rates during good weather, but can spike when there’s high demand for electricity.
Customs authorities in Ohio say they intercepted a shipment of cereal earlier this month with a special frosting — cocaine.
Democrats who were involved in the questioning during the House Financial Services Committee hearing on the GameStop stock controversy spoke to Cheddar about what they felt they learned.
Southern U.S. cities slammed by winter storms that left millions without power for days have traded one crisis for another.
