By Steve Neavling, Detroit Metro Times on Monday, Jul 25, 2022 at 11:12 am Meanwhile, 14 states have attempted to pass a law on cannabis use by adults but their efforts have failed. The state of Delaware came closest to it when its legislature passed a bill that the governor vetoed. The state of Maryland has not been able to get adult cannabis through its legislature, so voters are proposing a referendum that we believe is very likely to happen. Six other states are considering or have already introduced referendums. That`s in part because many state lawmakers with legal markets are yet to support meaningful changes to federal law. Democratic Senator Jon Tester, for example, represents a state where weed is legal — Montana — and says he does not support federalization. A handful of other Democrats told POLITICO they either oppose legalization or are undecided, including Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.). Schumer would need all the Democrats plus ten Republicans to bring the law past the finish line. On July 21, 2022, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced comprehensive federal cannabis reform legislation.

The Cannabis Administration and Economic Opportunities Act addresses many of the issues raised by participants, advocates, elected officials and other stakeholders in the cannabis industry over the past decade. While the bill contains thoughtful and sweeping reform proposals, it is highly unlikely to get the votes needed to pass Congress this year. Last month, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), introduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, a bill that would end federal cannabis prohibition by removing the drug from the Controlled Substances Act and leaving the laws surrounding it to the states. The proposal would also repeal all previous federal criminal convictions related to marijuana, among other things. Some Republicans may have preferred a more modest approach, such as decriminalization measures rather than full legalization. The Democratic-led House of Representatives passed a bill in April in a largely intra-party vote that was described as revolutionary for marijuana legalization. About two-thirds of voters support this decision, including the lion`s share of Republican voters — a sentiment largely maintained since another vote in the House of Representatives in 2020. But the votes are not yet there to pass Schumer`s bill on Capitol Hill. Finally, we are pursuing an amendment tabled jointly by the representatives.

Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Dave Joyce (R-OH), co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, at the longtime pilot of the Congressional Spending Bill. Currently, and in recent years, the endorsement has prohibited the Department of Justice from spending federal funds to track activities in accordance with state medical cannabis laws. If passed, the proposed amendment to the federal spending law for fiscal year 2023 would extend the current prohibition to activities equivalent to adult cannabis laws. At the time of the warning, the amendment had received approval from the House Budget Committee and is expected to be voted on by the House of Representatives in mid-September. But the bill failed to gain the Republican support needed to overcome the 60-vote threshold of obstruction. Booker seemed to acknowledge this in a recent interview with NJ Spotlight News. The senator indicated that he was willing to make “compromises” for a marijuana law that include an element of “restorative justice.” But, as is the case with issues such as protecting interracial marriage or access to birth control, bipartisan popular support doesn`t always lead to legislative progress, even though several states will consider their own changes to marijuana laws this fall. On the way to the campaign, some Democratic candidates, such as Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman, embraced the issue of legalization and may have motivated voters on the sidelines in his pivotal state, but many others downplayed it to focus on issues such as the economy, public safety, and abortion rights.

Booker, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, argued at a recent panel hearing that federal cannabis prohibitions have failed and that the federal government has not kept pace with a growing number of states that have decriminalized the drug. Booker also argued that the government should address higher rates of marijuana-related incarceration for black Americans than for white Americans, although groups use the drug at comparable rates. Some supporters are still pushing to pass the SAFE Banking Act, which allows FDIC-insured banks to serve cannabis businesses without fear of breaking federal laws. Advocates of the reform also hope to pass a set of marijuana policy issues this fall that combines marijuana research, federal record-clearing and the Safe Banking Act. The likelihood of action depends on the results of the midterm elections in November. Aside from full legalization, which may not have enough support to overcome Senate obstruction rules, there has been bipartisan support from this Congress for a bill that would provide federal protection to banks that work with marijuana companies in states that have taken steps to legalize the drug. The legislation includes both Democratic and Republican priorities: it erases federal cannabis-related records and creates funds for law enforcement agencies to combat the illegal cultivation of cannabis. It also establishes subsidy programs for small business owners entering the industry and from communities disproportionately affected by previous drug laws, requires the Department of Transportation to research and develop a national standard for marijuana-impaired driving, and restricts the marketing of cannabis to minors. Proponents of cannabis legalization have been successful in the past in portraying it with Republicans as a state rights issue, but some Republicans who favor decriminalization are likely to be unhappy with the removal of cannabis-related criminal convictions and equity subsidy provisions.

Senate leaders are introducing a bill Thursday to repeal federal marijuana prohibitions more than 50 years after Congress made the drug illegal. The House of Representatives has passed its own bill on the legalization of marijuana, and there are signs that the legalization of marijuana is gaining popularity among voters, including Republican voters. But as Democrats seek to defend their majorities in Congress, they may choose to focus their remaining legislative efforts on issues that would have a greater impact on voters. An analysis by FiveThirtyEight found that any electoral impact of marijuana-related efforts is “small and fairly neutral.” Schumer has been the top advocate for marijuana legalization in Washington, calling it a top priority for the past two years. That`s one of the issues he said Democrats would address if they reconquered the Senate in 2020. To make matters worse, the House of Representatives has twice passed its own comprehensive marijuana legalization program, known as the Mariuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement Act. This bill does not contain much of the regulatory structure that is part of the Senate bill and also provides for a different tax rate. The Senate left Washington for the campaign season without responding to legislation that would end federal marijuana prohibition, leaving behind what a new Morning Consult/Politico poll leaves on the table as a popular policy proposal ahead of the midterm elections. Reputation. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) said marijuana banking legislation could be introduced after the midterm Elections to the Senate, and Booker said there could then be bipartisan support, suggesting lawmakers might be able to garner enough votes during the congressional session for a piecemeal approach to decriminalization. The latest Morning Consult/Politico poll was conducted from September 30 to October 2, 2022, among a representative sample of 2,005 registered voters with an unweighted margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer`s Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act would decriminalize weed at the federal level and allow states to establish their own marijuana laws without fear of sanctions from Washington.

The Democrats` long-awaited marijuana legalization bill appears to have no way of moving forward in the equally divided House after failing to garner the Republican support needed to overcome the 60-vote threshold of the 100-member House filibuster. But discussions on the bill could pave the way for future compromises.