This week, we’ll cover new legislation that would allow cannabis researchers to use materials sourced from state-legal dispensaries, a new congressional resolution to launch an impeachment inquiry against US Attorney General William Barr, and the possibility of Biden’s criminal justice task force handing him an official recommendation supporting federal legalization.
We will also continue our coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests and return to our weekly coverage of Coronavirus updates in the US.
House Of Representatives Approves Legislation Allowing Research Of Cannabis Sold in Dispensaries
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives approved a bill that would allow researchers to access cannabis sold in state-legal dispensaries.
Currently, researchers hoping to study cannabis can only legally obtain research materials (cannabis) from a single, government-owned farm. The farm, run out of the University of Mississippi, provides the only cannabis that is legal for researchers to examine.
This set up causes concerns that the cannabis available to researchers does not reflect the cannabis present in legal dispensaries. In fact, there have been reports that the chemical makeup of cannabis coming from the location closely resembles hemp.
The legislation, a small part of a 2,000-page infrastructure bill, would radically change how researchers obtain cannabis. It would allow researchers to obtain materials from state-legal dispensaries, even for research in a state without legal cannabis.
This new legislative approach comes in the wake of the DEA’s failings in establishing additional cannabis growing operations. The federal agency has made clear that it intends to establish permits to grow cannabis for legal research.
However, the process has been long, laborious, and faces numerous legislative hurdles. The agency recently closed a public comment period on its most recent proposal related to these efforts. Despite this, the timetable for the DEA extending these permits remains nebulous at best.
Also, even if they do open additional cannabis grow operations, this will not address a major issue currently facing cannabis research—a lack of access to cannabis materials filling the shelves of legal dispensaries around the country.
Attorney General William Barr Faces Potential Impeachment Over Questionable Investigations Into Cannabis Mergers
This week, members of the House of Representatives filed a resolution calling for an impeachment inquiry against William Barr.
Barr, the current US attorney general, has come under fire after launching numerous investigations into various cannabis companies.
The investigations were initially brought into the public eye by whistleblowers who claimed Barr launched the investigations due to a personal bias against the cannabis industry as a whole.
Recently, the complaint was investigated by the Office of Personal Responsibility, which concluded that Barr had not broken any rules. However, the OPR was careful to acknowledge that their judgment was not a denial of Barr’s personal prejudice against cannabis.
Despite the OPR’s ruling, the matter is currently under investigation by the inspector general.
The new resolution calling for an impeachment inquiry into Barr’s actions is being led by Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee. The resolution states that Barr “abused the power of his office” to launch “pretextual investigations” against the cannabis industry.
“Barr has taken deliberate actions that violate the rights of the American people, assault the principle of impartial administration of justice, and undermine the constitutional structure of separation of powers across three co-equal branches of Government,” the resolution says.
Among the resolution’s cosponsors is Oregonian representative Earl Blumenauer. Blumenauer accuses Barr of “politicizing the Justice Department” and “putting his personal beliefs before those of the American people.”
“His egregious disregard for his oath to serve without bias warrants an investigation into his misconduct,” Blumenauer says. “I’m going to continue working with my colleagues in Congress to hold him accountable.”
Biden’s Criminal Justice Task Force Considers Cannabis Legalization Recommendation
According to Politico, members of a criminal justice task force assembled by Presidential nominee Joe Biden are discussing cannabis legalization.
Members of the task force, appointed by Biden and his former primary competitor Bernie Sanders, are mostly on board with broad legalization. In fact, several of the members have spoken publicly about their support for an end to cannabis prohibition.
However, Politico reports the group is now seriously considering giving an official recommendation to Biden regarding the policy change.
Thus far, Biden has been staunchly against legalization, showing support for the lighter approach of federal decriminalization. Biden continually claims that cannabis research is currently insufficient, leaving him uncomfortable with supporting broad, federal legalization.
Chiraag Bains, a former federal prosecutor and task force member, claims legalization is an opportunity for Biden to embrace change. “There’s an opportunity to advance a really bold agenda on criminal justice,” Bains said. “This is part of envisioning a completely different future, not returning to a pre-Trump era.”
According to Bains, endorsement for decriminalization is simply insufficient. “If possession of marijuana is just decriminalized and that is the hook for extensive police involvement in people’s lives, and if you haven’t addressed the underlying systemic problems in policing and the justice system overall, then people could continue to be stopped and searched and frisked and so forth.”
It remains unclear whether the criminal justice task force will make an official recommendation to Biden regarding legalization. Further, there is no telling whether Biden would accept the recommendation even if they did.
Coronavirus Updates In The United States
The United States is currently moving headlong into a second wave of COVID-19, with cases spiking in dozens of states. As a result, we are making a return to bringing weekly Coronavirus updates.
Confirmed COVID-19 CASES In United States (As of July 5): 2,982,928
Confirmed COVID-19 DEATHS In United States (As of July 5): 132,569
- Dr. Anthony Fauci made a statement predicting that the US could soon face 100,000 new COVID-19 cases per day.
- Donald Trump made a wildly erroneous statement that 99% of US COVID-19 cases are “totally harmless.”
- The United States has been breaking daily records of new cases as states begin implementing mask mandates.
- Making up 4% of the world’s population, the United States currently accounts for 25% of the world’s COVID-19 cases.
- Federal officials declined to mandate lower capacities on American airlines. As of now, US airlines allow full flights but require all passengers to wear masks.
- A Yale study claims that the current US death toll is a “substantial undercount” of the actual number.
- As of July 5, the seven-day average case total in the US set a new record for the 27th straight day.
BLM Protest Updates
The United States is currently experiencing a surge of activism and protesting erupting from the murder of George Floyd by Minnesota police officers.
Protesters are taking to the streets across the country to demand systemic reform against police violence.
What follows is a collection of updates related to the ongoing BLM protests.
- A car struck protesters on the I-5 in Seattle, leaving 1 dead and 1 seriously injured. As of now, the suspect in the hit and run is in custody. Rest in peace, Summer Taylor.
- Demonstrations in Portland were declared a riot, with protesters launching fireworks at the federal courthouse.
- Authorities arrested several protesters in Keystone, South Dakota after the protesters blocked the road to Mount Rushmore for several hours.
- An Oregon officer who appeared to flash a white supremacy hand signal at a protest was cleared of any misconduct.
- In Minnesota, a third officer involved in the death of George Floyd has left jail on a $750,000 bond.
- A Colorado police chief fired officers who reenacted Elijah McClain’s death.
- Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee announced early-stage police reform policies on Thursday.
- A potential bill in California would strip badges from officers with convictions of crimes or serious misconduct. As it stands, California is one of five states that doesn’t have the authority to take an officer’s badge for crimes and misconduct.
- Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania will sign numerous police reform bills that passed unanimously through the state senate.
- Despite research claiming otherwise, Republican politicians continue to blame protestors for recent spikes in COVID-19 cases.
