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Vote Hemp, a major grassroots hemp advocacy group, on Thursday announced the introduction of complementary bills in the U.S. House and Senate, S. 134 and H.R. 525, titled the " Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015," with support on both sides of the political aisle. The Act would remove federal restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp, the non-drug oilseed and fiber varieties of Cannabis. “With bi-partisan support in the Senate and House, we are eager to see 2015 be the year Congress

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published state-level data from it's National Survey on Drug Use and Health this month. The data examines marijuana use in each state from the last two years. In a state-by-state comparison of marijuana use, Rhode Island topped the chart with 14.8 percent of residents age 12 and older consuming the substance monthly. A number of states that have recently passed legislation to legalize the drug for adults over 21 were also near the t

When IVN contributor Eric Robinson spoke with independent U.S. Senate candidate Larry Pressler (South Dakota) in May, Pressler lagged far behind in the polls. Trailing in a distant third behind the two major-party candidates, he was struggling to raise money. However, in the last few weeks of the campaign, things have changed. Republican candidate Mike Rounds still leads in statewide polls with close to 40 percent, but some surveys differ as to whether Pressler or Democrat Rick Weiland is in s

The main talk of the 2014 election has been which political party will control the Senate after the votes have been counted. Democrats have been on defense throughout most of the country as President Obama's approval rating remains low. So with just a week to go before Election Day, how will the numbers fall? Here are my predictions. In this election cycle, Democrats have 38 seats that are safe or not up for re-election while Republicans have 42. So that is where my numbers start.Democrats are

Editor's note: The initial published draft of this article said Western Sky Financial was owned by members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. It has come to our attention that this is inaccurate. The article has been corrected and IVN apologizes for the misrepresentation. Just when you thought it was okay to admit you like the Washington Redskins again, it's now becoming common knowledge that American Indian tribes are knee deep in payday loan centers. Let's get something straight here, the pl

According to a recent report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), a think tank based in Washington, D.C., Kansas had the fourth biggest drop in per-student funding (total dollar amount) for schools in the United States since the beginning of the recession. In terms of overall percentage, Kansas is tied with Wisconsin for fifth largest decrease at 14.6 percent. The three states with larger spending cuts to K-12 education were Alabama, Wisconsin, and Idaho. While state lawmake

1. Op-ed says open primary would unlock voting for all Florida voters. "In an open primary, all registered voters can vote for any candidate, regardless of their political affiliation or lack thereof. In a closed primary, voters may vote only for candidates of the party with which they are registered." The author of the op-ed does confuse some terms, including open primary and a mixed primary system. For us to move forward with this discussion, we need to a) make sure we are using consistent a

1. Illinois Times runs op-ed saying open primaries and redistricting reform would help ease partisan gridlock in Washington. "Open primaries would help moderate the nation’s politics, as would bipartisan redistricting commissions capable of doing away with gerrymandered districts. Increasing voter participation and improving the integrity of our elections would also help. " The only problem is we are not defining what "moderate the nation's politics" actually means, and we have to distinguish

The Centrist Project Voice, a political action committee the Centrist Project says is the first to support candidates ready to set partisanship aside and "focus on the core issues of critical importance to all Americans," on Wednesday announced 5 U.S. Senate candidates it has endorsed, including Larry Pressler of South Dakota, who the PAC made its inaugural endorsement in May. The four names added to the list of endorsements along with Larry Pressler are Republican Susan Collins of Maine, Democ

In the wake of last week's startling upset of Eric Cantor, it would be easy to believe that the political middle will once again be left out in the cold. Yet something unique is happening this primary season. Political moderates, the perennial underdogs of party primaries, the forgotten footnotes to the partisan favorites, are mobilizing. It's a trend across the country, seen not just in the Republican backlash against the tea party, but in independent candidates and unique, moderate Democrats.