In a wake of decriminalization across the country, and especially in progressive states like California, some San Francisco lawmakers are now trying to decriminalize psychedelics like psilocybin and ayahuasca. Supervisors Dean Preston (D) and Hillary Ronen (D) sponsored new legislation that would reprioritize the enforcement of laws regarding these substances.

On July 19th, 2022, a former employee of a logistics company filed a lawsuit that claimed the company violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by performing employee background checks without proper disclosure.

Pennsylvania’s First Lady, Frances Wolf, recently attended the Manufacturers’ Association for the York County Reentry Employer Roundtable to discuss the importance of second chance hiring practices. The roundtable included groups such as the York County Economic Alliance, the York County Reentry Coalition, business and nonprofit leaders, and criminal justice advocates.

The Tampa City Council approved a proposal that plans to reward businesses that hire ex-offenders. The proposal calls for contractors to “ban the box”, which would remove any job application questions inquiring about an applicant’s criminal history.

In Washington D.C., the recreational use of marijuana has been legal since 2015. Though it’s been nearly seven years, lawmakers are just now ensuring that employers cannot discriminate against those who partake in a legal substance.

The U.S Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) released a memo clarifying that military veterans with income from a state-legal marijuana business are still eligible to receive home loan benefits.

Starting July 1st, tenants in Indiana can now seek expungement for past eviction filings. The eviction expungement bill, Indiana House Enrolled Act 1214, was recently passed by the Indiana state legislature. The bill will now allow those with previous eviction filings to file an expungement.

The Delaware State Senate has recently passed Senate Bill 13, a bill that would block colleges and post-secondary educational institutions from accessing the criminal history of its potential students. Instead they would be permitted to ask targeted questions concerning convictions.

Illinois officials have announced the approval of $45 million in grants to support community reinvestment for those affected by the war on drugs. The grant funds were generated from the sales tax of adult-use cannabis sales.

On June 14th, 2022, the AMA, also known as the American Medical Association, announced their approval for a resolution that calls for legislation to expunge cannabis arrests and convictions in states where cannabis is no longer illegal. The decision was made at the Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates in Chicago last week, with the goal to bring fairness and equality in legalizing cannabis.