Yo, what’s good? It’s your boy Dan, here to talk about some real news in the weed game. So, a new study came out this week that showed young dudes who blaze up too much may have a higher chance of getting schizophrenia. That’s some heavy stuff, man. But you know what else is making headlines? The SAFE Banking Act, which could make it easier for legal weed businesses to get access to financial services.
Now, this is a bipartisan bill, led by Jeff Merkley (a Democrat from Oregon) and Steve Daines (a Republican from Montana). They wanna make sure that all legal cannabis enterprises can get the money they need to keep on keepin’ on. And let me tell you, this is big news for the industry. It’s got people feeling optimistic about the future.
The SAFE Banking Act has been reintroduced to Congress a few times now, but it’s never made it past the Senate. That’s ’cause it needs 60 votes to pass, and the Republicans have 49 seats right now. But there are some GOP co-sponsors on board this time around, including Daines.
If this bill does pass, it would be a game-changer for cannabis companies. Right now, they’re struggling to get by ’cause most banks won’t work with them. That means they’re stuck doing cash transactions, which isn’t safe for anyone involved. Plus, they can’t get loans or other financial services that most businesses take for granted.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Dan, that sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch?” Well, there is one downside to this bill. It won’t fix the tax issues that legal weed businesses face under Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code. That means they’d still have to pay higher taxes than most other businesses.
But overall, the SAFE Banking Act is something that the industry really needs right now. It’s got support from both sides of the aisle, and it could make a huge difference for cannabis companies.
Unfortunately, not all the news this week was good. There was another bill that got blocked in the Senate, and this one hits a lot closer to home for a lot of people. It’s called the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act, and it would have looked into how weed can help military veterans with PTSD and chronic pain.
Now, you would think that everyone would be on board with helping out our vets, right? But no. The Republicans blocked this bill from even getting a vote. They say they’re worried about the safety of using weed as medicine.
Look, I’m not gonna lie, there are risks when it comes to using cannabis as medicine. But there are also risks with using other drugs, like opioids. And we know for a fact that those drugs are killing people every day. So why not give veterans another option?
It’s frustrating to see politicians play politics with something as important as medical marijuana. We know that it can help people, and we know that it’s less addictive and deadly than other drugs. So why not let doctors and patients decide what’s best for them?
Overall, I think these two bills show just how complicated the weed game can be. On one hand, you’ve got politicians who want to help out the industry and make things easier for legal businesses. On the other hand, you’ve got politicians who are still scared of what weed can do.
But here’s what I believe: we need to keep fighting for what’s right. We need to keep pushing for more research on cannabis, so we can learn more about its potential benefits and risks. And we need to keep standing up for the rights of patients and businesses who rely on weed to get by.
So don’t give up hope, my friends. The weed industry is still growing strong, and there are plenty of people out there who believe in its potential. Let’s keep fighting the good fight, and maybe one day we’ll see some real change.
