By Robert Hoban, Forbes on February 13, 2023]

There was great hope for U.S federal cannabis policy reform in 2022. As it turns out, the early 2022 optimism surrounding outright legalization or de-scheduling was never a reality, especially under a Democrat-led Congress and White House.

Nonetheless, we did see progress in the evolution of the debate from being an afterthought to entering the mainstream. Remember when then-Presidential candidate Mitt Romney dismissed even a discussion about this topic. Now, both parties have their cannabis reform champions. It was, after all, Sen. Mitch McConnell, who initiated the most significant federal cannabis policy reform in U.S. history via the 2018 Farm Bill. This is a dramatic departure from a decade ago when the issue was simply dismissed. Even the most insignificant mention of cannabis reform by a sitting federal elected official impacts cannabis capital markets and stock prices in real time.

– Read the entire article at Forbes.