Sen. Jeff Merkley

The Massachusetts Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund, designed to aid entrepreneurs from communities most affected by prohibition, now boasts over $27 million. By February 2024, the fund had received its first full annual transfer of $27.4 million, largely supporting businesses through grants...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is gearing up for a renewed legislative push to achieve bipartisan cooperation on marijuana banking reform when the Senate reconvenes next month, reported Marijuana Moment. In a bid to secure broad support for the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE)...

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill that incorporates a crucial amendment for veterans residing in states where cannabis is legal. The amendment allows VA physicians to recommend medical marijuana (MMJ) as a potential treatment option for its veteran...

Recently, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the sponsor of the independent Safe and Fair Banking (SAFE) Act, discussed the so-called "SAFE Banking Plus" bill at the Payments, Banking, and Compliance (PBC) Conference. According to sources, it "is nearing completion after bicameral and...

On Wednesday, Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) joined Steven Hawkins, CEO of the U.S. Cannabis Council, for a briefing about marijuana banking reform. The event counted with the participation of Dennis Brown, whose son Jordan, was...

A Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment on Wednesday that is meant to enable military veterans to access medical marijuana - by allowing Veterans Affairs (VA) physicians to grant recommendations in states where it is legal. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), is also...