In a somewhat disappointing but not unexpected move, the joint Joe Biden - Bernie Sanders “Unity Taskforce” announced this week its platform recommendations for cannabis, outlining a plan that is mostly in line with the presumptive Democratic nominee’s stated positions on the drug.

Sen. Sharif Street of Pennsylvania led a group of 14 Democratic State Senators in urging the government to legalize adult-use cannabis on Thursday, arguing that such a move would bolster state coffers in light of lost revenues due to COVID-19 and the resulting quarantines.

Jeff Gray is proud of the work he does at SC Labs and is invested in his role in the cannabis industry at large. But as one of the few Black men to break through the barriers of minority ownership in the legalized cannabis trade, he carries the burdens of racial disparity to often overlooked in everyday conversations about seed-to-sale, marijuana banking, and the like. As Gray explained to The PotNetwork, the political moment may finally have arrived at more in-depth discussions on race in America, but he’s been a Black man all of his life.

Late last Thursday, the House Armed Services Committee passed a $740.5 billion defense spending bill with a key provision that allows for leniency for troops who admit to smoking cannabis. According to a statement released by Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona, the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 will grant a one-time waiver, allowing those troops who have used marijuana to re-enlist in the armed services.