The Bay City Beacon (June 10, 2018) Cannabis momentum hits a fever pitch in the national political spotlight. But has California’s legalization brought equitable outcomes? Both of Senator Kamala Harris’ Twitter accounts – her official senate account and the one perpetually running for president – have openly endorsed federal cannabis reform. Even Senator Feinstein has jumped on the bandwagon, if only to win herself a sixth term.

Herb (June 11, 2018) In recent months, politicians on Capitol Hill seem to have been playing catch-up with the rest of America in embracing the belief that marijuana should be legal. The wave of support from lawmakers in Congress seemed to rise like a cloud right out of 420 with Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer voicing his support for legalization for the first time. This has since snowballed into public statements of support for cannabis reform from first-time candidates for Congress and incumbents alike.

Ganjaprenuer (June 11, 2018) The Senate Agricultural Committee unveiled its version of the 2018 Farm Bill last Friday, which includes a push to fully legalize industrial hemp, according to a Harvest Public Media report. The Senate’s Farm Bill has so far this year been a bipartisan project spearheaded by committee chairman Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and ranking minority member Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan).

Forbes (June 12, 2018) The “Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Entrusting States (STATES) Act” doesn’t really sound like a step towards marijuana legalization, but it is. This federal legislation aims to amend the Controlled Substances Act to make marijuana activity legal if it is following local state laws. President Trump has said he would support a bill that leaves cannabis legalization to the states.

GV Wire (June 11, 2018) Entrepreneurs and other cannabis enthusiasts are doing backflips over President Donald Trump’s statement last week about marijuana. The president said Friday that he “probably” would support bipartisan federal legislation protecting legal marijuana activities in states such as California that have approved the drug.

Green Camp (June 11, 2018) Ever since Donald Trump started running for president of the United States he was firm on his position that medical marijuana should be legal, even going so far to voice his thoughts on national television during one of his speeches during the campaign run. He also said, in a July 2016 interview, that he is in favor of states legalizing recreational marijuana if that is the will of the people.

Leafly (June 11, 2018) A strange-bedfellows mix of powerful state governors and members of Congress signed on to end the decades-old war on marijuana – via the newly introduced STATES Act. Momentum seemed to build over the weekend for the bill, introduced Thursday by Sen. Corey Gardner (R-CO) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). On Friday, the governors of California and New York, as well as their counterparts in ten other states, urged Congressional leaders to advance the bill.

The Motley Fool (June 10, 2018) 22 by ’22. That could be the slogan for the U.S. marijuana industry. Sales of medical and recreational marijuana could climb to around $22 billion by 2022, according to the 2018 edition of the Marijuana Business Factbook. Last year, total marijuana sales in the U.S. were estimated to be between $5.8 billion and $6.6 billion.

Civilized (June 12, 2018) Cannabis may be mere weeks away from legalization in Canada, but according to former cannabis task-force chair Anne McLellan, that doesn’t mean it’s party time. While legalization is getting many Canadians excited — or clutching their pearls, as the case may be — the chair of Canada’s task force on cannabis legalization says many are missing the two other points Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government have stressed on this front: restriction and regulation.

Civilized (June 12, 2018) Road safety has been a central concern for states looking to legalize recreational cannabis. And beyond the political rhetoric, there are real public concerns here, says the Canadian Automobile Association’s (CAA) Ian Jack. In these cases, the messaging often becomes abstinence-based, telling people that smoking a joint will render you unable to drive for 12 hours or more.

Markets Insider (June 11, 2018) Civilized Worldwide Inc. (Civilized), along with its partners the Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and Opportunities New Brunswick (ONB) is pleased to highlight the first day of the World Cannabis Congress taking place in Saint John, NB at the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre from June 10 to 12.

Leafly (June 11, 2018) The World Health Organization met in Geneva, Switzerland, last week to review the agency’s first-ever review of the health and safety of cannabis. It’s an early step as the global health agency, an office of the United Nations, prepares to issue a recommendation to the UN on the “need for and level of international control” over the plant, which is broadly prohibited under international drug treaties.

https://www.leafly.com/news/politics/un-drug-committee-finds-cannabis-an-effective-relatively-safe-drug