North Carolina Congressmember Chuck Edwards continues to push the “Stop Pot Act” he filed in September, despite it gaining little traction thus far.
The Stop Pot Act would withhold federal funding from states and tribes that have legalized recreational marijuana. The measure is cosponsored by Representatives David Rouzer (NC), Gregory Murphy (NC), Pete Sessions (TX) and John Rose (TN), all Republican.
Despite receiving public backlash following the bill’s introduction, Representative Edwards is pushing forward with his effort to get the bill passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Recently his office began circulating a letter to congressional colleagues seeking additional cosponsors for the Stop Pot Act.
The proposed law would withhold federal highway funds from states and tribes that violate the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The CSA currently has marijuana as a schedule 1 drug, putting it in the same category as heroin and making it illegal for all purposes.
While the Stop Pot Act has five sponsors, a bill to completely remove marijuana as a controlled substance has 76. A Senate bill to allow marijuana banking is sponsored by 34% of the entire Senate. The Stop Pot Act has not gained a single new sponsor since Representative Rose joined the list on October 2.
Introduction of the bill in September came shortly after the US Department of Health sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) requesting that marijuana be rescheduled from schedule 1 to schedule III, effectively legalizing it for prescription use across the nation.
According to two separate polls released earlier this year, 64% of adults in the United States support marijuana being legalized for recreational use.
