*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).
Presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard joined families of 9/11 victims and first responders Tuesday as she called on the Trump administration and the FBI to release documents that she said could implicate Saudi Arabia for its role in the attacks.
In mid-September, the White House revoked a waiver that allows California to implement stricter emission standards than what the federal government puts forward under the Clean Air Act.
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan stated official quarterly GDP figures would be released Thursday, but that preliminary analysis shows consecutive economic contractions.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, October 28, 2019.
The U.S. Education Department was also ordered to pay $100,000 in damages.
The governor on Tuesday called on the state's attorney general to investigate why drivers in the Golden State are being forced to shell out $1.50 more than the average U.S. driver.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, October 23, 2019.
Ohio nearly purged over 200,000 of active voters from polls and one in five people on that list should not have been there. Jen Miller, Director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio joins Cheddar via phone to discuss how she is fighting to prove the state of Ohio was wrong to remove some of those people on the list.
Despite an array of challenges, advocates, enthusiasts, and cannabis industry stakeholders felt Canada's great cannabis experiment had mostly worked.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, October 18, 2019.
