The majority of those sponsoring the “Stop Pot Act” are from North Carolina.
Filed by North Carolina Congressmember Chuck Edwards in September, the Stop Pot Act would withhold federal funding from states and tribes that have legalized recreational marijuana. The measure was filed with just one cosponsor, with it since gaining three additional sponsors, bringing the total to five. Three of these five (60%) are from North Carolina, and all are Republican.
The proposed law would withhold 10% of federal highway funds from states and tribes that violate the federal Controlled Substances Act. Given marijuana is a Schedule I drug, this means that any state that allows legal marijuana sales would be violating the provisions of this proposal and would lose some federal funding. Despite having just five sponsors, the Stop Pot Act has more cosponsors than any other effort that would combat state marijuana laws, even though many Republican Congressmembers hold strong anti-marijuana stances.
“The laws of any government should not infringe on the overall laws of our nation, and federal funds should not be awarded to jurisdictions that willfully ignore federal law”, Representative Edwards said in a press statement following the bill’s introduction in September. “During a time when our communities are seeing unprecedented crime, drug addiction, and mental illness, the Stop Pot Act will help prevent even greater access to drugs and ease the strain placed on our local law enforcement and mental health professionals who are already stretched thin.”
By comparison, a measure in the US House of Representatives to fully decriminalize marijuana and remove it as a controlled substance now has 82 sponsors. In the Senate, a federal marijuana banking bill is sponsored by 35% of the entire Senate.
According to two separate polls released last year, 64% of adults in the United States support marijuana being legalized for recreational use.
