A bipartisan group of members of Congress are making a new effort to pass legislation that would block the federal government from interfering with states that have legalized cannabis.
The STATES Act does not seek to legalize marijuana, but instead proposes an amendment to the Controlled Substances Act that would shield people who follow state laws.
As many as 33 states and D.C. have legalized recreational or medical cannabis, but businesses and individuals in those states are technically violating federal law. The proposed legislation would resolve that discrepancy and still allow states without blocking states that want to keep marijuana prohibitions.
“This is a mainstream, federalism approach to a conflict that must be resolved,” Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) told Cheddar. “Even with a 60-vote threshold [in the Senate], this legislation will pass .... Let's get a vote; let's have a vote. Let's show the American people that we can actually solve problems."
The legislation, whose acronym stands for Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act, was first proposed last year by Gardner and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in the Senate, and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Rep. David Joyce (R-Oh.) in the House. The measure was defeated in the waning days of the last session of Congress.
But the bill’s backers are confident that the measure has the support it needs to pass this time around.
“We are convinced this is not only the right solution, it is the right time politically,” Blumenauer told reporters.
The bill is not considerably different than last year's bill, but the landscape of marijuana legalization has changed quite a bit. Forty-seven states permit some form of marijuana, the Farm Bill effectively legalized industrial hemp at the end of 2018, and Gardner has consistently maintained that Trump is supportive of the bill.
Trump acknowledged the STATES Act last June, telling reporters he would "probably will end up supporting that,” according to The New York Times.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who described himself as representing the “right edge of the cannabis reform movement” told reporters he anticipated "more collaborative discussions" with White House officials concerning the STATES Act now that former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was no longer the voice of the Department of Justice.
“Freedom is popular and I’m for more of it,” Gaetz added.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
