*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).
While Postmaster General Louis DeJoy halted operational changes at the USPS, California Rep. John Garamendi claims the concerted effort to destroy the post office was orchestrated by the Trump administration in order to steal the November election.
A day after Michelle Obama’s passion wowed Democrats on the opening night of the party's national convention, Joe Biden will draw on a collection of his party’s most experienced leaders.
The Postmaster general says he is halting some operational changes until after the November election.
President Donald Trump says he'll pardoned Susan B. Anthony, a leader in the women’s suffrage movement, who was arrested for voting in 1872 in violation of laws permitting only men to vote.
As the USPS rolls back its operational capacity, House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, is calling ono the postal chief to testify in front of congress. Andrea Thomas Haile, CEO of Vote.org, talks steps states can take to work around USPS limitations.
There was no central meeting place or cheering throng during the all-virtual Democratic National Convention on Monday night. But it was an opportunity for Democrats — and some Republicans — to rally behind Joe Biden, the party's presidential nominee.
As eviction moratoriums are lifted and extra federal unemployment assistance dries up, there is a broad consensus among housing experts that an evictions crisis is inevitable.
The Democratic Party will convene, sort of, amid a pandemic that has upended the usual pomp-and-circumstance of presidential nominating conventions.
The Department of the Interior has approved an oil and gas leasing program within Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
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.
