*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).
Speaking at Georgetown University, Zuckerberg said he recognized that the U.S. and nations worldwide are facing concerning social tensions but warned against the impulse to restrict free speech online.
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Without mentioning President Donald Trump — by far the most high-profile and contentious leader on Twitter — the company added that tweets with a "clear public interest" would not be removed.
Retail sales for September came out Wednesday morning, showing the first decline in seven months. It was the first decline since February of this year.
These are the headlines you Need to know for Wednesday, October 16, 2019.
The Swamp Bus is the brainchild of the Progressive Change Institute and Revolving Door Project, a two-hour guided bus tour through Washington, DC to see the town's most blatant locations tied to corruption.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has topped several recent polls, found herself on the defense during the fourth Democratic presidential debate Tuesday night, as she was forced to defend a number of her progressive policy positions.
The former Republican Congressman from South Carolina so far hasn't pressed his former Capitol Hill colleagues to call for articles of impeachment. Rather, Sanford brought up the idea of "censure" instead.
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.
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