*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).
It's been 54 years since the Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and for 50 years it stood as rock-solid. All that changed with a 2013 Supreme Court case in Shelby v Holder, where judges ruled that states no longer require federal approval to impose new voting laws as previously codified in the Voting Rights Act.
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.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, November 29, 2019.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, November 27, 2019.
Phil Arballo, a Mexican-American businessman competing in the Democratic primary for California's 22nd district House seat, says he's received $300,000 donations in light of GOP Rep. Devin Nunes pro-Trump.
With "no sign of slowdown" in the concentrations of greenhouse gases according to a report by the UN's World Meteorological Organization, the international body renews its call for drastically reducing emissions globally.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, November 26, 2019.
After months of speculation, former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg made it official that he's running for president, and the media outlet he founded has outlined how they plan on covering the race from this point forward.
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.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
