Earl Blumenauer

“Optimism is required if you're going to fight the War on Drugs for over half a century,” reflects Vince Sliwoski in a poignant piece on The Canna Law Blog about Congressman Earl Blumenauer’s impending retirement. As Blumenauer prepares to step down next month, his legacy as one...

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) has urged Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to place cannabis reform policies up for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. The founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis said in a Monday letter to his chamber colleague he "strongly” encourages...

Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus says he’s disappointed the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chose to delay rescheduling of marijuana. "It is incredibly disappointing to see the DEA drag their feet on an issue...

Three bipartisan congressional lawmakers are urging the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reconsider its directive constraining VA doctors from helping veterans access medical marijuana in states where it is legal. What happened: Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D), founder and co-chair of the...

The latest bipartisan push in Congress to address cannabis reform comes as cannabis-related amendments to a large-scale spending bill covering Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MilConVA) for the 2025 fiscal year that were filed recently. The measure from Reps. Brian Mast...

Prompted by Attorney General Merrick Garland's proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, continues to push President Joe Biden's administration to put an end to the failed federal...

In a landmark decision that could reshape the landscape of American drug policy, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will reportedly move forward with a proposal to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, reducing its classification from the highly restrictive Schedule I category,...

A coalition of 20 U.S. Democratic lawmakers sent a letter on Wednesday to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Department of Justice, calling for the prompt removal of marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and John...

A coalition of bipartisan cannabis advocates, industry leaders and grassroots organizations mobilized by the Last Prisoner Project (LPP) will convene in the nation’s capital on April 18, 2024, for a 420 Unity Day of Action. This gathering marks a unified effort to pressure Congress and...

Three Republican Senators came out swinging at the mere idea of rescheduling cannabis, as proposed by the Biden Administration to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which passed the request on to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The GOP trio, Mitt Romney (R-UT), James...

The Last Prisoner Project (LPP), a nonprofit dedicated to gaining the release of people incarcerated due to the War on Drugs, is preparing to exert public pressure on Congress and the President to legalize cannabis.  The organization will be mobilizing a large bi-partisan coalition of US cannabis...

Thirty-six Congress members are urging President Biden to grant clemency to people serving time in federal prisons for nonviolent marijuana offenses. Led by Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chairs Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), they sent a letter to the President on Wednesday...

A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report released Friday highlights significant limitations in a House bill designed to modify federal employment and security clearances for people who have used cannabis in the past. The bipartisan legislation, spearheaded by Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Nancy Mace...

Rep Blumenauer sent another letter to the DEA's Anne Milgram, pushing for more transparency and action on cannabis reform. He urges 'full descheduling' of cannabis and for the DEA to prioritize public safety rather than criminalization. Nearly two months after receiving a vague response...

“When we started this, decriminalization was controversial, and a minority position. Legalization was maybe supported by between a third and 40% of the general population, depending on the survey. As years rolled on, it became clearer to many that the hard stance against cannabis was self-...