SEN. GARDNER: BANKING COULD HAPPEN IN “MONTHS”

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 20: U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) speaks during the first day of Judge Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill March 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Gorsuch was nominated by President Donald Trump to fill the vacancy left on the court by the February 2016 death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Speaking at a credit union conference Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) said he believed a version of the Safe Banking Act could pass the Senate within months. Banking Dive

• “Every day that Congress continues to ignore reality, unintended consequences pile up for legitimate businesses,” Gardner said. “I believe that in a matter of months we can have a vote on a compromise version in the Senate that will have the support of 60-plus of my colleagues and of the House of Representatives.”
• Gardner’s working on the bill with legalization supporter Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Banking Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Id.) who opposes legalization but has shown some interest in the bill. However, Crapo has proposed potency caps that are non-starters for the industry. It’s not clear what compromises Gardner has in mind.

Quick Hit

1. The Democratic presidential candidates shared their views on legalization during their South Carolina debate. Former Vice President and Delaware Senator Joe Biden, one of two candidates who does not support legalization, won big in the South Carolina Primary, establishing himself as the most credible challenger to Sen. Bernie Sanders. Marijuana Moment, CNN