President Trump's 2020 budget request includes a loophole that would let Washington, DC finally open up dispensaries for recreational cannabis, writes Calvin Hughes and James McClure.

According to D.C. government human resources rules first established in 2016, most city employees are allowed to take part in the District’s medical marijuana program.

But some employees in the Department of Public Works say they were told otherwise, leading to confusion, distress, and hesitance to use medical marijuana to treat ailments due to fear over their job security.

Another business is joining those aiming to ease the pain of the partial government shutdown for federal workers — a marijuana marketplace says it’s giving away free weed.

BudTrader.com, which describes itself as the “largest online cannabis marketplace” and has been dubbed the "Craigslist of weed," will offer free medical marijuana to government workers who can’t pay because of the shutdown.

The shutdown — which affects an estimated 800,000 federal workers and has stretched on for more than a month — stems from disagreements between President Trump and congressional Democrats over his request for more than $5 billion in funding for a border wall separating the United States and Mexico.

• Cannabis startups are sending veteran lobbyists to Capitol Hill in support of the STATES Act — a bill that would require the federal government to keep a hands-off approach on the decisions made by states on marijuana legalization.
• The bill was introduced last summer by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), showing there is broad, bipartisan support for cannabis reform. President Donald Trump even said he will "probably" end up supporting it.
• Tracking seed to sale is difficult, and the nearly $10 billion industry is dealing largely in cash, creating serious safety concerns for wholesalers, distributors, and dispensaries.

It’s shaping up to be another big year for cannabis, as politicians and policymakers move to destigmatize, decriminalize, and — in some cases — legalize the drug nationwide. In New York, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently presented his plan to legalize recreational cannabis throughout the state. Democrat Tim Walz, the newly elected governor of Minnesota, wants his state to be the next to legalize. And in Rhode Island, Democratic Gov.

President Donald Trump has vocally supported efforts towards marijuana reform, although nothing has actually been passed since he took office. But one Republican senator says he's still committed to those goals, writes Joseph Misulonas. 

The Congress that takes over next month will seem far more friendly to marijuana interests thanks to Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives. And marijuana interests are making sure they can get as much support as possible, writes Joseph Misulonas. 

Sen. Cory Gardner failed to add language to the Senate’s criminal justice bill that would ensure the federal government respects Colorado’s marijuana legalization. But neither the Republican senator, who is running for re-election in 2020, nor the issue will be going away.

On Monday and Wednesday this week, Donald Trump will leave the Oval Office in the West Wing in the late afternoon and walk eastward to the White House residence, where he will meet Melania Trump. Together, they will head downstairs at 5:15 to the Grand Foyer, a gilded hall directly past the main entrance, where they will be greeted by 600 people. Melania at his side, he will wave and smile at his guests, shake their hands, pose for photos, and engage in small talk. She will say “Merry Christmas” and he will deliver unscripted remarks. He will wave and smile and shake hands and pose and engage in small talk some more. After about two-and-a-half hours, they will ascend the stairs and return to the residence. Just before 8:30, the whole ordeal will start again.

Democratic Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of Washington, D.C. has announced that she intends to introduce legislation next year that would legalize the sale of recreational cannabis in the nation’s capital.

Bowser, who was re-elected to her position on Tuesday, sees the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections as an opportunity to implement a pot legalization measure already passed by voters.