Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what's happening in the world of legalized marijuana.

The big news this week is that hemp legalization is on its way to the President's desk.  Noted hemp supporter Sen. Mitch McConnell even signed the bill with a hemp pen.

In other federal news,  the Surgeon General has come out in favor of rescheduling cannabis.  He believes the current placement of marijuana in Schedule I has prevented research into the drug.

In California,  the Bureau of Cannabis Control has finalized its regulations.  They will now make their way to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) for review.  Marijuana Business Daily has a nice summary of the provisions and what they will mean for businesses in the state.

But the action on the state level is not just on the West Coast.  The inter-state rivalry between Michigan (which just legalized adult-use cannabis) and Illinois continues, as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks out in favor of legalizing marijuana.  In other Midwestern news, Minnesota might also consider legalization, but, don't hold your breath, votes may not be taken until 2020.

And for the latest on the Utah situation,  see Jinouth Vasquez's post which describes the state of play there, at least as of yesterday afternoon!

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