Uncertainty abounds in the coming weeks, as the cannabis industry will learn if its business is as resilient as alcohol.

The U.S.

If elected with a Democratic Congress, marijuana policy could change through bottom-up momentum.

Just three months ago, analysts from one of the biggest banks in Canada, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), rated the chance of meaningful marijuana reform at “near-zero” in 2020. And they gave reform odds an “unlikely” designation for 2021.

The House voted to approve Part B Amendment #87 Thursday evening, which is a provision to prevent the federal government from using any funds to interfere with state medical or adult-use programs or target individuals and businesses that are in compliance with state cannabis laws. The bipartisan amendment to the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill was introduced by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).

The most pressing issue is the treatment of foods and dietary supplements, which are common in the marketplace but are allegedly prohibited by the FDA.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) submitted a CBD enforcement policy to the White House. We do not yet have the text of that document but we anticipate that it will have a significant impact on hemp-derived CBD (Hemp CBD) products.

In anticipation of the release of the FDA’s CBD enforcement policy, we wanted to cover the FDA’s current position on Hemp CBD, which is summarized in the following graphic:

As legislation moves through Congress to legalize cannabidiol (CBD) and other hemp-derived product use by military service members, the Navy has taken the ban a step further.

The Navy recently administered a memo clarifying that service members are prohibited from using “any products containing, made or derived from hemp” regardless of their stated cannabinoid content, including shampoos, conditioners, lotions, lip balms or soaps.

Delegates of the Democratic National Committee voted down a proposal to include the federal legalization of cannabis in the party’s 2020 platform on Monday. Platform committee delegate Dennis Obduskey of Colorado had introduced an amendment to include marijuana legalization in the platform, but the proposal was rejected by the committee with a vote of 105 to 60.

Several delegates spoke in favor of the legalization platform plank before the vote, including Stacey Walker, a county supervisor from Iowa, who referenced the words of civil rights activist and former Georgia congressman Rep. John Lewis in his comments.

Will This Presidential Race Determine The Future of the Cannabis Industry

A 45-year-old Canadian man got busted at the border last week hauling millions of dollars worth of marijuana.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection nabbed the suspect last Wednesday on Peace Bridge, a crossing that connects Buffalo, New York to Fort Erie, Ontario. The man was driving a commercial tractor trailer, and he informed the officers that he was delivering a shipment containing articles of cement.