Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, has refiled the States Reform Act which was first introduced in 2021.
The proposed law, according to a legislative brief, would “Federally decriminalizes cannabis and fully defers to state powers over prohibition and commercial regulation.” In 2021 the bill had only Republican sponsors, but now it has bipartisan support.
The bill “performs confirming amendments to relevant statutes to ensure that cannabis products are treated like alcohol by amended statutes in line with Title II of the Act. It further provides opportunities for reentry for non-violent, non-DUI cannabis offenders who had no relation to a foreign drug cartel and pose no further threat to society, consistent with the policies of the Department of Justice under President Trump for clemency for non -violent cannabis offenders.”
Representative Mace says she previously made a deal with former-Speaker Kevin McCarthy that he would hold a committee hearing on her marijuana bill in exchange for her vote to raise the debt ceiling, but with McCarthy out as speaker it’s uncertain if any new speaker will respect such a deal or choose to allow the measure to be heard.
The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Tom McClintock (R-CA), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Dean Phillips (D-MN) and David Trone (D-MD).
Another federal marijuana bill, the SAFER Banking Act, was recently approved by the Senate Banking Committee and is currently sponsored by 32% of the entire US Senate. That measure would not decriminalize or legalize marijuana, but would allow banks and financial institutions to provide financial services to marijuana stores that are legal under their state’s laws.
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