New Bipartisan Bill Calls For Federal Cannabis Legalization Plan
A GOP congressman and the House minority leader last week introduced a new bipartisan bill calling on the U.S. attorney general to develop plans to legalize cannabis at the federal level. If passed, the measure would direct the attorney general's office to form a commission tasked with creating a plan to regulate cannabis like alcohol.
The legislation, titled the Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult-Use Regulated Environment (PREPARE) Act, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on April 17 by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Ohio Republican Rep. Dave Joyce, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Congress.
Noting that 'the cannabis reforms seen across the country and inevitably at the federal level,' the bipartisan congressional duo said the bill (H.R. 2935) creates a fair and transparent process for the federal government to establish effective marijuana regulations.
'Currently, nearly all 50 states have legalized or enacted cannabis to some degree, bringing us closer to the inevitable end to federal cannabis prohibition,' Joyce said in an April 17 statement from his office. 'Recognizing this reality, the PREPARE Act delivers a bipartisan plan. With this legislation, Congress would be equipped to develop a much-needed federal regulatory framework that not only respects the unique needs, rights, and laws of each state, but also ensures a responsible end to prohibition and a safer future for our communities.'
Under the legislation, the attorney general would be required to establish a 'Commission on the Federal Regulation of Cannabis' within 30 days of the bill's enactment, online cannabis news source Marijuana Moment reported on Friday. The commission would be charged with analyzing the federal and state regulatory models for alcoholic beverages and use the findings to develop recommendations for legalizing cannabis. The bill also mandates that the commission submit a report with its recommendations to Congress within 12 months.
The PREPARE Act directs the commission to consider the impact of cannabis criminalization, including the effects on minority, veteran and low-income communities. The commission would also be responsible for investigating the 'lack of consistent regulations for cannabis product safety, use and labeling requirements,' including the impacts affecting youth safety, and the 'lack of guidance for cannabis crop production, sale, intrastate, interstate, and international trade.'
The legislation directs the commission to recommend solutions to challenges related to banking services for regulated cannabis companies and barriers to cannabis research. The panel would also be responsible for submitting recommendations to protect the 'successful coexistence of individual hemp and cannabis industries, including prevention of cross pollination of cannabis and hemp products.'
Additionally, the bill calls on the commission to investigate and develop recommendations for 'efficient cannabis revenue reporting and collecting, including efficient and tenable federal revenue frameworks.'
'Since the failed war on drugs began more than 50 years ago, the prohibition of marijuana has ruined lives, families and communities, particularly communities of color,' said Jeffries. 'The PREPARE Act is one of the bipartisan solutions that will lay the groundwork to finally right these wrongs in a way that advances public safety and boosts our economy.'
Also last week, Joyce joined lawmakers including Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller and Nevada Democratic Rep. Dina Titus, another Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chair, to reintroduce a bill that would give the states the lead on cannabis policy reform. The legislation, known as the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) 2.0 Act, would change the federal Controlled Substances Act to remove criminal penalties for cannabis activities that are legal under state or tribal marijuana regulations.
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