A congressional spending committee is poised to approve language tomorrow calling for a new federal review of how states regulate legal marijuana.

The proposal is part of a draft report accompanying the Fiscal Year 2027 Financial Services and General Government spending bill, which is set for consideration by the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. If adopted, it would direct the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to coordinate a study of state marijuana regulatory structures.

Under the plan, federal officials would evaluate whether existing state systems are sufficient, while also identifying shared regulatory practices and the different ways states approach enforcement and oversight. The report would further call for recommendations to strengthen coordination and data sharing between state and federal authorities. Treasury would be required to brief the committee on its findings within one year of the bill becoming law.

Another section addresses interstate spillover from legal markets, calling on the Department of Justice, TTB and other agencies to examine how marijuana products can be kept from flowing into states that still ban them.

The language also aligns with broader federal conversations around marijuana policy, including efforts led by Representative Dave Joyce (R-OH) to establish a federal framework that accounts for the growing number of states that have legalized marijuana.

Below is the language of the new directive:

Cannabis Regulatory Framework. The Committee recognizes that over 20 States and territories now permit the adult use cannabis, while over 35 States and territories permit the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. The Committee directs TTB in coordination with the entire Department, and other agencies, which may have relevant regulatory expertise, to coordinate an assessment of the adequacy of State marijuana regulatory frameworks, including commonalities and novel approaches to enforcement and oversight. The assessment shall include recommendations to improve data sharing and coordination between State and Federal authorities. The Department is directed brief the Committee on the findings of the assessment within one year of enactment of this Act.