Legislation that would federally legalize marijuana has gained another sponsor in the U.S. Senate, bringing the total number of senators backing the legislation to 18.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) signed on Monday as a cosponsor of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity (CAOA) Act. Kim becomes the bill’s 17th cosponsor. Combined with lead sponsor Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), the proposal now has 18 Senate backers.
The legislation, Senate Bill 5022, was introduced July 16 and referred to the Senate Finance Committee. Booker introduced the measure alongside Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR).
The proposal would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, ending federal marijuana prohibition while allowing states to continue establishing their own marijuana laws. It would also create a federal regulatory structure for the legal industry and transfer federal jurisdiction over marijuana to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
Other provisions would eliminate the federal tax code restriction that prevents marijuana businesses from claiming standard business deductions, establish a federal excise tax on marijuana products and create competition rules intended to protect independent producers, wholesalers and retailers.
The bill would also automatically expunge federal nonviolent marijuana offenses and allow people currently serving federal prison sentences for qualifying offenses to petition courts for resentencing. Federal marijuana tax revenue would be directed toward an Opportunity Trust Fund designed to support communities and individuals disproportionately affected by marijuana prohibition.
Additional provisions would establish federal standards for marijuana labeling, fund research into marijuana and its effects, reduce marijuana drug testing requirements for certain federal employees and establish worker protections for employees in the legal marijuana industry.
Kim joins Schumer, Wyden and Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) as cosponsors.
The legislation has not yet received a committee vote or been scheduled for a hearing.
