*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).
The government’s top infectious disease expert has told a House committee he believes "it will be when and not if" there will be a COVID-19 vaccine.
Cheddar's Need2Know Podcast for Tues., June 23, 2020.
On Monday, every driver and their crews joined Bubba Wallace in a show of solidarity before the race that was postponed a day by rain.
Alarming surges in coronavirus cases across the South and West are raising fears that the outbreak is spiraling out of control.
Cheddar's Need2Know Podcast for Mon., June 22, 2020.
Apple is closing 11 stores in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina that it had reopening just a few weeks ago.
Also called Emancipation Day, or Juneteenth Independence Day, Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States But this second independence day is not a national holiday and most Americans have never even heard of it. Years of systematic racism, segregation, and the oppression of Black Americans have diminished and stamped out efforts to make what should undoubtedly be an American National Holiday.
The director of "Selma,""13th," and "When They See Us," Ava DuVernay, is working to empower other artists to create works to keep law enforcement accountable as police brutality protests have gathered steam throughout the world.
In the midst of a national protest movement calling for an end to systemic racism in the criminal justice system, the idea of celebrating the end of slavery as a national holiday is gaining momentum among political leaders, activists, and corporate head-honchos alike.
NBA Executive, Michele Roberts joins Cheddar to talk discuss being the first woman and person of color to join Cresco Labs' board of directors. Roberts has also been instrumental in the return of the NBA season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
