Sen. Kamala Harris Joins the Ranks of Marijuana Justice Act Sponsors

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Ca.) is undeniably a rising star in the Democratic party. Her announcement Thursday that she would back federal marijuana legalization has quickly propelled her to the ranks of progressive heavyweights like Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). A potential 2020 contender for the White House, Harris’s recent statements signal she is ready to move the country toward progressive marijuana and criminal justice reform.

Sen. Kamala Harris Vows To Support Federal Marijuana Legalization

As Sen. Kamala Harris joins the ranks of Marijuana Justice Act sponsors, she moves alongside progressive Democrats like Cory Booker, the bill’s sponsor, and Kirsten Gillibrand, who champion marijuana legalization as a social justice issue.

Sen. Booker’s legislation would remove marijuana from the federal government’s list of Schedule I controlled substances. But the justice component goes much further. The Marijuana Justice Act would additionally expunge the criminal records of any American with prior marijuana use or possession convictions.

It’s a radical proposal that would dramatically alter the criminal justice landscape in the United States. And that’s something for which Harris, former attorney general of California, has long fought.

“It’s the right thing to do. And I know this as a former prosecutor. I know this as a senator,” Harris said in a video posted by NowThis announcing her decision. “I just look at what we want as a country and where we need to be instead of where we’ve been.”

And where we’ve been, according to Harris and many who support cannabis legalization, has been a nightmare of racially disparate drug enforcement and incarceration. Where we’ve been, Harris says, is the failed war on drugs.

“The war on drugs was a war on communities. Not somebody smoking a joint,” Harris says in the video.

Making Good On Her Progressive Credentials

While Sen. Harris’s record on criminal justice reform is laudatory, her action on legal cannabis has been less so. Even so, Harris’s coming out to support Sen. Booker’s Marijuana Justice Act fits in with her long-standing critique of the criminal justice system.

As San Francisco’s district attorney and later as California’s attorney general, Harris adopted a number of progressive stances. The list is admirable, and includes significant measures like sentencing reform and adopting measures to reduce recidivism in California’s over-populated prison system.

Harris was also a vocal supporter of the Affordable Care Act and defended the rights of same-sex couples to marry. And she was responsible for getting California’s justice department to adopt body cameras and mandate implicit racial bias training for its police officers. She’s even gone after polluters and corporate fraudsters.

With Trump in office and Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, Kamala has become an even more outspoken progressive. She has supported single-payer healthcare along with Bernie Sanders and is a backer of free college tuition for low-income households.

All of that is impressive and praiseworthy, even if critics of Harris point out that her deeds have not always follow her words.

Unfortunately, those criticisms seemed especially valid when it came to Harris’s stance on marijuana. While she frequently blasted the war on drugs as a failure, as California AG she took no meaningful action on drug reform. In fact, in some cases, she endorsed the “tough on crime” policies of her conservative colleagues.

Of course, that was then and this is now. And politicians have pivoted more rapidly toward legalization than Harris. Whatever disappointments Harris’s past record on marijuana may cause, her statements Thursday make clear that in 2018, the senator is completely on board with justice for cannabis users.

Philadelphia Vying For License to Grow and Process Medical Marijuana

Pennsylvania’s relatively young medical marijuana program is continuing to grow and expand. Now, with Philadelphia vying for a license to grow and process medical marijuana, the legal cannabis industry could be on the verge of moving into the City of Brotherly Love.

Philly Wants to Grow Medical Marijuana

Pennsylvania is poised to issue another round of permits for medical marijuana growers and processors. The state of Pennsylvania issued its first round of permits last year, but Philadelphia didn’t get any of them. This time around, the state will reportedly give out 13 new licenses. And the city of Philadelphia wants in on the action.

According to local news outlet WPVI-TV, Philadelphia city leaders are pushing hard to obtain one of the forthcoming grower/processor permits.

As the state’s medical marijuana program unfolds, cities like Philadelphia have doubled their efforts to attract cannabis business. For many leaders in Philadelphia, it’s all about the economy.

“I think it is important that we raise this voice and raise this issue, as we try to combat poverty in our city,”said Philadelphia City Councilman Derek Green.

He added: “And we believe with this growing industry of medical cannabis, this is a real opportunity to provide economic development opportunities here.”

State Representative Jordan Harris took it a step further. He voiced his own particularly strong support of medical marijuana. In particular, he likes the idea of Philadelphia being able to move into the industry.

In recent comments, he praised the medical marijuana industry. He also reminded city residents and officials that the industry is expected to see rapid growth in immediate the future.

“We should be looking at not only do we want to have one in Philadelphia, we want to have all of the ancillary business that comes with it,” Rep. Harris said. “And we want to begin to train our young people on how to cultivate and how to grow and how [to] do so legally because this is the industry of the future.”

A Bid for Bud in the City of Brotherly Love

Philadelphia’s bid to obtain growing and processing permits is the latest development in Pennsylvania’s evolving cannabis laws.

The state legalized medical marijuana in 2016. In April of that year, Governor Tom Wolf signed a new bill into law making Pennsylvania the 24th state to legalize medical marijuana.

From there, it took some time for the program to become operational. In fact, Pennsylvania didn’t approve a growing facility until the fall of 2017. A few months later, in January 2018, the first medical marijuana dispensary in Pennsylvania opened for business.

Under current laws, patients can only access and use non-smokable forms of cannabis. However, a move to change that is currently underway. Beginning in March, Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board was tasked with looking into the possibility of expanding the medical marijuana program to include smokable flower.

In April, the Board voiced its support of the change. But before dispensaries can begin selling flower, the proposal must first be approved by other lawmakers and agencies.

Applications for the phase two licensing round must be postmarked by May 17th. Find more information about Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program on the state website.

Ultrasound Increases Yields And Cannabinoid Extraction Speed

Could ultrasound be the next step in the evolution of cannabinoid extraction? Researchers in Hungary tested how ultrasound could impact the speed and efficiency of cannabinoid extraction. The results were promising. In fact, they found ultrasound increases yields and cannabinoid extraction speed.

Using Ultrasound During Cannabinoid Extraction

A study that was published in The Journal of Food Science and conducted at Sopron University in Hungary looked into the benefits of ultrasound cannabis extraction. A team of Hungarian researchers used alcohol as a solvent and low-frequency ultrasound to enhance the extraction of bioactive chemicals from the cannabis plant. There was also a control extraction with no sonification to draw comparisons from.

Alcohol is a popular solvent used for small extractions like Rick Simpson Oiland it is also used in medical extraction facilities. The extraction equipment is small and easier to obtain than the necessary tools for other extraction methods.

The team of Hungarian researchers conducted an experiment on the influence of time, input power and methanol concentration on the extraction of phenols, flavonoids, the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and the overall yield.

Influence On Yield

One of the most notable advantages researchers found to using ultrasound were increased yields. In fact, higher values were obtained during the ultrasonic process when compared to the control extraction. Researchers praised the potential of using ultrasound technology to increase the yield of cannabinoid extraction.

“Appreciably higher extraction of cannabinoids was achieved on sonication against control,” the study report stated.

Extraction Speed

One of the greatest advantages noted from the ultrasound-assisted extraction was the influence on extraction speed. A typical extraction can take anywhere from thirty minutes to a few days. The experiment found the optimal extraction time with ultrasound was 15 minutes.

“On comparing the ultrasonic process with the control extraction, noticeably higher values were obtained for each of the responses,” researchers said.

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Researchers also noted that the time and the solvent “significantly affected the extraction.” Using ultrasound on other solvents could lead to even more effective extractions but more research would need to be conducted.

Certain extractors are already taking advantage of ultrasonic cannabis extraction with other solvents. It is nonthermal so there isn’t enough heat to cause the degradation of active ingredients. It is energy-efficient so costs are low, it doesn’t add any hazardous or toxic chemicals and best of all research has shown it shortens extraction time while increasing cannabinoid yields.

Canadian Veterans Plan Lawsuit Over Medical Marijuana Funding Cuts

A group of Canadian veterans is planning to file a lawsuit over medical marijuana funding cuts by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). In May of last year, the VAC reduced the amount of medicinal cannabis it would cover. Before that, the VAC would permit vets to use up to ten grams of medical marijuana per day. But the VAC dropped that permitted daily allotment to just three grams.

When the cut was enacted, more than 2,500 veterans nationwide had received permission to use more than three grams per day.

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The advocacy group Veterans for Healing in Oromocto, New Brunswick is organizing the legal action. The vets plan to ask the court to rule that the VAC failed to live up to its responsibilities with the reduction.

David Lutz is the attorney representing the vets. He told local media that the veterans want the VAC to cover enough cannabis to eliminate the need for prescription drugs. They would also like to see the court restore funding for medical marijuana to previous levels.

“We are asking for a declaration by the court that reducing from 10 grams to three grams is a violation of the government’s obligation to the veterans,” Lutz said. “We need to make a new law here.”

Jamie Keating, a veteran living in St. John, will be a named plaintiff in the suit. He said that the VAC needs to honor its commitment to care for vets.

“It’s not about money, it’s about doing what’s right,” said Keating. “You can’t just cut vets off cold turkey when something works. If it was opiates, they wouldn’t be able to just stop.”

Soldiers Are Using Cannabis to Treat PTSD

Veterans like Keating are using medicinal cannabis to treat a variety of serious health conditions. Vets are finding relief from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), chronic pain, and anxiety with medical marijuana. So much so that prior to the cuts, payments for medical marijuana had grown to $60 million per year. That made cannabis the most expensive item in the VAC’s drug coverage program. But while costs for cannabis increased, payments for opioids and benzodiazepines dropped.

Seamus O’Regan, the Minister of Foreign affairs, said the cut in the medical marijuana benefit was more about science than money.

“We still have a heck of a lot of research to do when it comes to cannabis use and how it affects PTSD and other mental-health conditions,” O’Regan said.

To prepare for that argument in court, attorney Lutz said he is compiling anecdotal evidence on the efficacy of medical marijuana. He and his staff are in the process of interviewing up to 100 vets to learn about and document their experience with medical marijuana. Lutz noted that the vets participating in the lawsuit had to start taking other drugs when their coverage for cannabis was reduced to three grams daily.

“The theme here is plants, not pills,” Lutz said. “Medical marijuana has replaced every pill that these people were on before. I expect to be able to demonstrate that,” he said.

Ron Forrest is a vet who uses cannabis to treat PTSD and chronic pain. He also plans to be a plaintiff in the lawsuit. He said that for some veterans, access to medical cannabis is a matter of life or death.

“There was no reason for VAC to cut us back that drastically,” he said. “We had people kill themselves.”

Georgia Adds Pain and PTSD as Conditions for Medical Marijuana

After months of working its way to Governor Nathan Deal’s desk, a new bill hoped to add intractable pain and PTSD to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana in Georgia. And yesterday, Governor Deal signed the bill into law.

A Look at Marijuana in Georgia

Georgia has been easing up on weed penalties for a while. Last fall, Atlanta, the largest city and capital, passed a referendum that decriminalized marijuana. Now, Atlantans cannot be jailed for possession, and the maximum fine is a low $75.

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Since then, lawmakers have introduced new legislation that would extend decriminalization to the whole state. The first bill, House Bill 865, would reclassify possession of 2 ounces as a misdemeanor. Additionally, Senate Bill 105 would decriminalize up to half an ounce, and lower the fine.

Of course, selling, transporting, and growing marijuana would still be illegal. Though this legislation is by no means lenient, it is a movement towards tolerance.

The State’s Medical Marijuana Laws Are Evolving

Georgia legalized medical marijuana in 2015 but continues to expand its list of qualifying conditions. In 2017, Republican State Representative Allen Peake introduced a bill to the House that doubled the list of ailments treatable with medical pot.

The list included HIV/AIDS, Tourette’s Syndrome, autism, autoimmune disease, epidermolysis bullosa, Alzheimer’s disease, and peripheral neuropathy. Today, increasing scientific and anecdotal evidence shows that marijuana can treat these illnesses.

To date, approximately 4,000 Georgians have medical marijuana cards.

This Week, Lawmakers Added More Conditions

On Monday, House Bill 65 reached the final step in the legislative process. Thanks to Governor Nathan Deal’s signature, patients with intractable pain and PTSD can now access medical marijuana.

Getting this bill through was not easy due to intense opposition. A supporter of the legislation, House Rep. David Clark, had some harsh words for the President of the Senate, Casey Cagle. “There are lives at stake. This isn’t a game. … People are dying,” he said to Cagle.

This bill’s passage does not mean that you can get marijuana in any form. Even with a doctor’s approval, you can’t legally smoke marijuana. This legislation only permits is low-THC cannabis oil.

Unfortunately, you may not even be able to get weed oil due to a huge caveat in the new law. Cardholders still have no legal way to get their medicine because you cannot grow marijuana or bring it from one place to another. You cannot legally import it from another state, either.

Georgia’s Medical Marijuana Program Is Far From Complete

Since there isn’t a legal way for patients to obtain medical marijuana, the state is still essentially forcing people to break the law to access medicine they’re legally allowed to have. In early 2018, lawmakers attempted to pass a bill that would have allowed cannabis cultivation. As is the case in Washington D.C.with recreational weed, lawmakers need to find a way to get people access to a substance they’ve legalized.

Despite Georgia’s conservatism when it comes to medical marijuana, some are optimistic that recreational marijuana is coming. This southern state needs to up its tax revenue, and last year, they failed to legalize casinos. As seen in Colorado, marijuana is an untapped source of state income.

Whether discussing medical or recreational marijuana, Georgia’s biggest obstacle is its unique legislative process. A vote cannot legalize weed, so it would need to go through lawmakers… which seems less than likely with a Republican majority in the Georgian Senate and House.

Utah’s ‘Right to Try’ Medical Marijuana Bill is Officially in Effect

Utah’s ‘Right to Try’ medical marijuana bill officially went into effect yesterday. But under the new law, only terminally ill patients will have access to medicinal cannabis.

House Bill 195 (HB195) allows terminally ill patients to possess and use marijuana for medical use. The measure adds medicinal cannabis to the auspices of 2015’s Right to Try Act. That law allows patients with a terminal illness to use medical treatments not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). HB195 officially adds medical marijuana as one of the experimental treatments allowed under the Right to Try Act.

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The Utah Senate easily passed HB 195 on March 7 by a vote of 19-3. The House of Representatives then approved the measure 40-26 on March 20 and sent it to Governor Gary Herbert, who signed the bill into law.

Companion Bill Also Becomes Law

Another new measure, House Bill 197 (HB197), also went into effect yesterday. A companion to HB195, this law authorizes the establishment of a medicinal cannabis cultivation program in the state.

However, HB197 had a more difficult road to approval by the state legislature. Like HB195, it also cleared the Senate without difficulty, by a margin of 20-5.

In the House, bills must receive at least 38 votes (a majority of the body’s 75 members) to pass. HB197 failed to receive approval on an initial vote, with a tally in favor by 36-34 votes.

But a motion to reconsider was approved, resuscitating the measure. Before a second vote, Rep. Brad Daw, the sponsor of both HB195 and HB197, told his fellow lawmakers that patients need both bills.

“This bill becomes the way to supply a genuine cannabis medicine for both those programs. We need to pass this bill if we want to have patients the ability to try both under Right to Try and under research,” Daw said.

New Law May Be Irrelevant Soon

But the two laws that went into effect yesterday may soon be a moot point. A much broader initiative legalizing medical marijuana appears to be heading for November’s ballot.

Organizers of the campaign for the Utah Medical Cannabis Act have already turned in enough signatures to qualify for the election. The Utah Patients Coalition gathered more than 40,000 signatures in excess of the 113,143 necessary.

The Utah Medical Cannabis Act, if successful, would allow patients with a list of specific serious medical conditions to use medical marijuana. The bill also allows for the creation of a legalized cultivation and distribution infrastructure and regulatory framework to manage it. The bill limits patients to two ounces of marijuana or 10 grams of THC or CBD per 14 day period. Smoking marijuana and driving under the influence would still be prohibited. Far more patients would qualify for medical marijuana under the initiative.

However, the measure has not officially qualified for the ballot just yet. And an anti-pot group is hoping to keep it that way. Drug Safe Utah has begun a drive to convince people who have signed petitions to now remove their names from petitions. If enough signers change their minds, the initiative could fail to qualify for the ballot after all.

New Research Shows That Cannabinoids May Treat Sleep Apnea

Though still in its infancy, new research shows some promising results when it comes to cannabinoids’ effect on sleep apnea. A study published in the medical journal Sleep this year confirms that a synthetic cannabinoid can lessen the sometimes dangerous symptoms of sleep apnea. To better understand this study, and what it could potentially mean for sleep apnea patients, we spoke with Dr. Jerald Simmons, MD.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder. The American Sleep Apnea Association estimates that 22 million Americans have sleep apnea in varying degrees of severity.

People with sleep apnea experience intermittent breathing after they fall asleep. Dr. Jerald Simmons, MD is the founder of Comprehensive Sleep Medicine Associates. He is board certified in Sleep Medicine, Epilepsy and Neurology from Stanford, and spends much of his time treating patients with sleep apnea.

Dr. Simmons described sleep apnea to High Times as an unstable condition that changes depending on which sleep stage you’re in.

“Sleep apnea is a condition where when you’re asleep the airway becomes more narrow,” he explained, “The muscles of the throat relax, and it’s harder for people to breathe. As the airway becomes more narrow, a vacuum gets created in the back of the throat.”

This vacuum is what leads to snoring, and in severe cases, the throat closes completely. Sleep apnea can completely stop you from breathing.

Sleep apnea produces a host of medical problems. According to Dr. Simmons, it can cause strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, heartburn, fatigue and headaches. Additionally, having millions of poorly rested people on the roads is a safety hazard.

Treating Sleep Apnea Can Be Difficult

“There are a variety of ways of treating this that are basically mechanical methods,” Dr. Simmons clarified. In order to prevent the muscles of the throat from relaxing and potentially closing, patients use either a sleep apnea mask or a dental appliance.

The mask covers your nose and is attached to a machine that consistently moves air to the back of your throat. The dental appliance pushes the jaw forward. Both prevent the muscle relaxation that closes the airway. Another less common option sleep-apnea surgery.

Excluding surgery, which can be costly, these two common treatments can be cumbersome and difficult to use. In many cases, sleep apnea patients either don’t use their mask or dental appliance or use it incorrectly. Today, there are no oral medications that you can take for sleep apnea.

The Study On Cannabinoids and Sleep Apnea

New research shows that an oral cannabinoid medication could soon become a reality.

This study is called the “PACE Clinical Trial: The Effects of Dronabinol in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.” PACE stands for Pharmacotherapy of Apnea by Cannabimimetic Enhancement.

Scientists from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University took 73 sleep apnea patients, First, they tested the severity of their Obstructive Sleep Apnea, meaning that they only dealt with muscular sleep apnea. Conditions ranged from moderate to severe, meaning that the throat closes completely. They also surveyed the participants on their fatigue levels prior to beginning treatment.

Then, researchers administered placebo pills, a low dose of cannabinoidmedication and a high dose of cannabinoid medication to three separate groups. They used dronabinol, which is a synthetic cannabinoid already approved by the FDA to help chemotherapy patients cope with appetite loss.

Though researchers have conducted other studies on cannabinoids and sleep apnea, this one was the most legitimate. “It was done in a proper experimental fashion that, just like any other pharmaceutical compound that would be tested,” Dr. Simmons said.

The Study’s Findings Were Striking

The study found that dronabinol significantly helped for sleep apnea patients. They reported less fatigue and fewer symptoms than the placebo group. Not only that but the higher the dose, the better the patients did.

Significantly, those with the most severe symptoms benefitted the most from the cannabinoid.

Patients also showed the biggest reduction in symptoms at the point in their sleep cycle when they’re usually the most acute. Dr. Simmons explained, “The study showed was that the benefit was most significant in REM sleep, and it was most significant in terms of complete apnea, the ones where the airway is completely blocked.”

The Future of Sleep Apnea Medication

We are still a long way from an oral cannabinoid medication for sleep apnea. Though these are impressive findings that will hopefully promote further cannabinoid research, it is only one study.

On the other hand, the FDA has already approved dronabinol. This means that getting the drug to market would be a less lengthy process than usual.

Sensitive to the difficulty of this condition, Dr. Simmons is hopeful that more testing will back this initial study. “There are no medications available that people can take to treat this, so if there’s a medication that works it would be very helpful. It could help decrease these other issues that sleep apnea can cause.”

An oral medication would make a big difference in the lives and health of the millions of people with sleep apnea.

Marijuana Legalization Effort in Connecticut Is Running Out of Time

The marijuana legalization effort in Connecticut is running out of time, as this year’s legislative session winds to a close this week. Lawmakers have until May 9 to pass a bill pending in the House of Representatives.

But that doesn’t seem likely, according to local media. Both the House and the Senate have other bills more likely to gain lawmakers’ attention.

Last month, the House Appropriations Committee voted 27-24 to support the measure and send it to the full House. If passed, the bill alone would not technically legalize cannabis. But it would direct several state agencies to form a plan to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana in the state. The law also includes provisions for the creation of substance abuse prevention, treatment, and awareness programs.

At that time, House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz did not commit to bringing the measure up for a vote by the full body.

“While the bill was passed by the Appropriations Committee,” he said, “it is still early in the process and I expect we will have continued discussions within the caucus before it can be determined if it will be called for a vote in the House.”

However, the Speaker did indicate that the legislature needs to act on the matter.

“This is one of those tough crossover issues that brings both a social and economic aspect with it, and with a number of states in the region having either already approved legalization and regulation, or are trending this way, it’s clearly something that deserves to be looked at,” he said.

Activists Demonstrate at State Capitol

In an effort to spur action on the legislation, cannabis advocates demonstrated at the Capitol in Hartford on Sunday. At the rally, protestors chanted slogans and carried signs with messages including “Cannabis Heals” and “Weed Deserve a Vote.”

The state chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) organized the demonstration. Avery Press, a spokesperson for Connecticut NORML, said the activists hoped the legislature makes the bill a priority.

“Our mission with this rally is to bring attention to HB 5394 and educate the community about cannabis legalization, so they can urge their legislators to vote favorably, on this issue before the end of the session,” Press said.

The activists also hope to change people’s perceptions about cannabis.

“We’re not just stoners,” Press said. “We’re here today to try and break that stigma. The majority of people want legalization in this state and we are hoping our voices are being heard today by the legislators.”

Keith Wainwright of Stratford was one of the demonstrators at the rally. He believes that the legalization of marijuana is a matter of fairness.

“I just don’t get it,” Wainwright said. “You can buy a pack of cigarettes and right on the pack it has a message saying: “Warning: cigarette smoking can kill you – but it’s perfectly legal to smoke cigarettes. It’s perfectly legal to drink alcohol which also can be harmful.”

Seattle Municipal Court Asked To Vacate Hundreds of Marijuana Charges

Following a new trend in decriminalization, the Seattle municipal court has been asked to vacate hundreds of marijuana charges from up to thirty years ago. Philadelphia made a similar move when District Attorney Larry Krasner announced that his office dropped 51 marijuana charges. Both decisions may have been inspired by San Francisco’s District Attorney who was the first to dismiss thousands of marijuana convictions.

Why Are Cities Dropping Marijuana Charges?

San Francisco was motivated to undo the wrongdoings of the past. That’s when they lifted thousands of marijuana charges dating back to 1975. It would have been hypocritical to allow recreational cannabis to be sold in stores while people continue to suffer from mere possession.

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes believes dismissing marijuana possession cases will best serve the “interests of equity and justice” in his city. When he became City Attorney he vowed to stop all prosecution of marijuana possession cases.

“As we see marijuana sold in retail storefronts today, people who simply had a joint in their pocket a decade ago still have a red mark on their record,” Holmes told The Stranger.

One of the main motivating factors in San Francisco was the racial disparity in convictions. Holmes also cited the adverse impact marijuana arrests have had on people of color.

“It’s long past time we remedy the drug policies of yesteryear, and this one small step to right the injustices of a drug war that has primarily targeted people of color. I’m hopeful the court will choose to clear these charges.”

In Philadelphia, District Attorney Larry Krasner told reporters dropping marijuana possession charges would free police resources to “solve homicides.”

Washington residents voted to legalize recreational cannabis way back in 2012. According to the Washington Department of Health, there are over one hundred licensed cannabis retailers. There are also “medically endorsed stores.” So far cities in California, Pennsylvania and Washington have chosen to expunge the records of those who were punished for cannabis possession.

Dropping hundreds of marijuana possession charges is a start but there is still plenty of damage to be undone in the rest of the country. Despite the rhetoric of Jeff Sessions, the gears of legalization and decriminalization continue to turn.

In fact, the city of Baton Rouge also loosened their penalties for marijuana charges to prevent more communities of color being destroyed. The city of Albuquerque also met to discuss marijuana legislation.

Marijuana News: A Senate Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana At The Federal Level Is On Its Way

ut plainly, the cannabis industry is budding worldwide. Cannabis research firm ArcView Group has estimated that North American legal marijuana sales could explode from $9.7 billion in 2017 (which represented 33% sales growth from 2016) to more than $47 billion by 2027. Meanwhile, Cowen Group recently raised its global legal cannabis sales forecast from $50 billion by 2026 to $75 billion by 2030.

This article originally appeared in the Motley Fool. 

At the heart of these lofty sales estimates is a major shift in consumer opinion toward pot. What had once been considered a taboo topic is no more. Five national polls over the trailing one-year period -- CBS News, Gallup, Fox News, Pew Research Center, and the independent Quinnipiac University -- found support ranging from 59% to 64% for nationwide legalization. Furthermore, support for medical marijuana in the aforementioned Quinnipiac University poll from August hit an overwhelming 94%. 

Despite Changing Opinions On Cannabis, The U.S. Is Stuck In The Mud

Yet in the United States, the cannabis industry remains stuck in neutral. Despite the fact that 29 states have broad medical marijuana laws and nine states have OK'd the use of recreational weed, the federal government has entrenched its stance on cannabis being a Schedule I drug. This places weed on par with drugs like LSD and heroin, suggests it's highly prone to abuse, and means it has no recognized medical benefits.

In addition to being wholly illegal at the federal level, marijuana's Schedule I status can wreak havoc on businesses operating in the pot industry, as well as patients hoping to receive medical cannabis or cannabis-derived medicines.

For instance, marijuana companies often have little to no access to basic banking services, which constrains their ability to expand and hire. Also, the three-decade-old tax rule known as 280E disallows businesses that sell a federally illegal substance from taking normal corporate income-tax deductions. This means that profitable pot companies could pay an effective tax rate of as high as 90%! And, as noted, patients can suffer given the lengthy amount of red tape surrounding medical cannabis trials and research.

The industry is also challenged by Attorney General Jeff Sessions leading the Justice Department. Sessions is perhaps the most ardent opponent of cannabis in Washington, and he's tried on more than one occasion to upend state-level expansion. In May 2017, Sessions (unsuccessfully) requested that a few of his congressional colleagues repeal the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, which is responsible for protecting medical marijuana businesses from federal prosecution.

However, Sessions was successful in rescinding the Cole memo in January. The Cole memo provided a loose set of guidelines that states would follow in order to keep the federal government at bay. These guidelines included keeping grown cannabis within legal states and ensuring that adolescents didn't have access to marijuana. Its rescinding opened the door for state-level prosecutors to use their discretion in bringing charges against individuals or businesses that violate the Controlled Substances Act.

This Influential Congressional Leader Is Set To Introduce A Decriminalization Bill

But big changes could be on the way. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced a little over a week ago his intention to introduce a bill to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level -- i.e., remove it from the controlled substances list.

In an interview with Vice News Tonight, Schumer had this to say:

The time has come to decriminalize marijuana. My thinking -- as well as the general population's views -- on the issue has evolved, and so I believe there's no better time than the present to get this done. It's simply the right thing to do. 

If this sounds somewhat familiar, it's because former House Speaker John Boehner, who once described himself as "unalterably opposed" to the idea of decriminalizing marijuana, announced his change of heart just days before Schumer made his own announcement about proposing a decriminalization bill. Said Boehner in a statement to CNBC on why he was joining a cannabis company's board of advisors:

Like that of millions of other Americans, [my thinking on cannabis] has evolved as I've learned more about the issue. I decided to get involved because of the struggles of our country's veterans and the opioid epidemic, after learning how descheduling the drug can potentially help with both crises. Descheduling will reduce the conflict between federal policy and state programs. 

However, Schumer's proposal wouldn't completely wipe out the ability of the federal government to enforce certain controls. Federal regulators would still be able to penalize instances of drug trafficking between legalized states and states that have not chosen to OK the use of legal weed. In addition, the federal government would retain authority over marijuana advertising so as to ensure that children aren't targeted. Ultimately, though, states would have the final say on whether or not cannabis is legal and how it's regulated.

Is Decriminalization A Real Possibility?

Of course, the $64,000 question is this: Does Schumer's decriminalization bill have a chance of passage in the Senate and/or House?

Based on the current make-up of Congress, I'd suggest it wouldn't pass. In Gallup's October 2017 survey, 51% of respondents who identified as Republican favored legalization, albeit this "majority" was still within the margin of error for the poll. Though this represented the first time in history a majority of the GOP was in support of legalization, Republicans still have a decidedly more negative view of weed relative to Democrats and Independents. With numerous big-ticket issues expected to be on the table in Congress this year, including healthcare reform and an infrastructure bill, the chance of a decriminalization bill gaining majority support seems unlikely. 

But things could change after the midterm elections in November. If Republicans lose their majority in the House and/or Senate, it may be possible to garner enough support to reschedule or decriminalize marijuana at the federal level.

Should the U.S. alter its stance on cannabis through decriminalization, it's probable that Canadian growers would rush in to stake their claims. For example,  Aphria (NASDAQOTH:APHQF) , which is expected to be a top-three grower by annual production in Canada (approximately 230,000 kilograms a year), announced its intention to sell off its passive U.S. assets in the wake of Sessions' repeal of the Cole memo. Aphria made good on this promise in February when it announced a divestiture of more than 26.7 million shares of medical cannabis company Liberty Health Sciences. If the U.S. reverses its anti-cannabis stance, Aphria would likely reenter the U.S. market, along with most of its peers. 

More importantly, decriminalizing marijuana in what could arguably be described as the most lucrative weed market in the world would likely remove any concerns about a marijuana glut in Canada. With some estimates suggesting that supply in Canada could outweigh domestic demand by over 1 million kilograms of dried cannabis, the ability to export to legalized countries will be paramount to supporting the margins of Canadian growers.

Personally, I don't believe this is an issue that'll be resolved anytime soon. Chances are that we're going to need to wait until a few months after the midterm elections before we get any clarity on whether a decriminalization bill has any chance of passage in the U.S.

Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.