In 2025, Congress saw multiple pieces of cannabis legislation introduced, from sweeping descheduling proposals to more incremental reform efforts and even a newly announced equity-focused resolution.
Below is a breakdown of every cannabis-related bill filed so far in the 119th Congress, along with what each aims to do and how many cosponsors it had at the time of writing. Every bill listed below will remain alive in 2026, as the current session covers 2025-2026.
Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act (H.R. 5068)
The MORE Act would remove marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act, effectively ending federal prohibition and leaving core policy decisions to the states. It pairs descheduling with automatic expungement for many federal marijuana offenses, creates a federal excise tax, and directs revenue toward community reinvestment, small-business support and services in communities hit hardest by past enforcement. As of December 4, the bill has 60 total sponsors, making it the most widely backed cannabis legislation of the session.
STATES 2.0 Act (H.R. 2934)
The STATES 2.0 Act would bar federal enforcement against individuals and businesses that comply with state or tribal marijuana laws. It explicitly authorizes interstate commerce between legal jurisdictions, eliminates 280E for state-licensed marijuana businesses and begins outlining a federal regulatory structure with comparatively low tax rates. As of fall 2025, the bill has 8 total sponsors. Although this is notably less than the MORE Act, STATES 2.0 has bipartisan support.
Veterans Equal Access Act (H.R. 1384)
The Veterans Equal Access Act would allow Department of Veterans Affairs health care providers to discuss state medical marijuana programs with patients and complete any related certification forms. It removes the longstanding federal barrier that prohibits VA clinicians from formally acknowledging medical marijuana use, even in legal states. The bill has two sponsors.
Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act (H.R. 966)
This bill prohibits the VA from denying benefits to veterans solely because they participate in a state-approved medical marijuana program. It also directs VA providers to discuss marijuana use with their patients and document that information in treatment plans, ensuring veterans are not penalized for legal medical use. The measure also has two sponsors
Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act of 2025 (H.R. 3082)
The Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act targets a structural issue in federal drug policy: language requiring the Office of National Drug Control Policy to oppose legalization. The bill would repeal that mandate, allowing drug policy to be shaped by research rather than pre-set prohibition. Though small in sponsor count — currently two — the legislation represents a significant shift in how the federal government approaches marijuana policy and research.
Military Construction & VA Appropriations Marijuana Amendment
This amendment to the Military Construction and VA appropriations bill would have prohibited the Department of Veterans Affairs from denying benefits to veterans who use medical marijuana in accordance with state law. It also would have allowed VA doctors to openly discuss medical marijuana use with their patients. The amendment passed both the House and Senate but was removed during conference negotiations and did not appear in the final enacted legislation.
Federal Hemp THC Ban Amendment (Agriculture Appropriations)
The agriculture appropriations amendment imposes a nationwide ban on consumable hemp products containing any detectable THC, including delta-8, delta-10, THCA and similar compounds. After multiple rounds of debate, it was incorporated into the government-shutdown-ending spending bill and signed into law. The measure includes a one-year enforcement delay to give businesses time to adjust, but once implemented, it will shut down the legal market for intoxicating hemp products across all 50 states.
PREPARE Act
The PREPARE Act focuses on federal planning for a post-prohibition framework. It directs agencies to examine tax models, regulatory systems and public health considerations tied to federal legalization. The bill is designed to prepare the federal government for a smooth transition should marijuana be descheduled.
No Deductions for Marijuana Businesses Act
This bill reinforces the existing federal rule known as 280E, which prevents marijuana businesses from deducting standard operating expenses. Instead of loosening the restriction, the measure explicitly protects it, ensuring that companies trafficking in Schedule I or II substances remain ineligible for typical business deductions. The bill has 11 sponsors in the House, and two in the Senate.
Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan (HEMP) Act
The HEMP Act proposes updates to the federal definition of legal hemp, including raising allowable THC thresholds and modernizing testing rules to reduce crop failures. It also creates nationwide labeling and product standards to provide consistency in the hemp supply chain. The bill has one sponsor.
Marijuana 1-to-3 Act
The Marijuana 1-to-3 Act would move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. This change would eliminate 280E for marijuana businesses, expand research access and acknowledge marijuana’s accepted medical use. The bill offers an incremental approach to reform and currently four bipartisan sponsors..
RESPECT Resolution (introduced December 4, 2025)
On December 4, a group of eight members of the House, including four members of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, introduced the RESPECT Resolution, the Realizing Equitable & Sustainable Participation in Emerging Cannabis Trades (RESPECT) Resolution. The resolution is designed to advance equity in the cannabis industry by encouraging state and local governments to adopt policies that expand access to business opportunities for communities disproportionately harmed by past cannabis prohibition.
Rather than legalizing or rescheduling marijuana directly, the RESPECT Resolution urges a framework prioritizing economic justice, capital access, and reparative measures to benefit Black, Brown, and low-income communities historically impacted by the War on Drugs.
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