Welcome back to Higher Law, our weekly briefing on all things cannabis. I'm Cheryl Miller, reporting for Law.com from Sacramento. 

This week we're looking at:

• SAFER Banking—is it for real this time?
• Another lawsuit targeting New York's adult-use regs.
• Legal actions involving Curaleaf.
• Reactions to New York's move to general licensing. 

Thanks as always for reading. Got a story idea or feedback? You can send it all to me at [email protected]. You can also call me at 916.448.2935. Follow me on Twitter: @capitalaccounts

U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

'Getting Closer': Senate Leaders Move on Long-Stalled Marijuana Bill

For years, Washington, D.C. has been the place efforts to ease marijuana restrictions have gone to die. But in the last few weeks that has changed—at least enough to give prohibition-fighters a glimmer of hope.

In late August, it was the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommending that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration down-schedule marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. Then on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., unveiled the SAFER Banking Act, the revised successor to the SAFE Banking Act aimed at opening bank doors to cash-dependent, state-licensed cannabis operators.