Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with 13 other Democratic original cosponsors, reintroduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) to end the federal prohibition of marijuana and establish a regulatory framework governing its production, sale, and use.
The FY27 bill now advances to the Senate, where lawmakers will decide whether to retain the provision in the final appropriations package.
“Voters made their mandate clear in 2024, and now Nebraskans have been left vulnerable because their leaders refuse to respect it.”
“This legislation embodies the wishes of more than two thirds of the American public, and will create a federal cannabis framework that respects states’ rights and is focused on science, pragmatism, and justice.”
The White House’s 2026 fiscal year budget request calls for the repeal of a long-standing federal budget rider that prohibits the Justice Department from using taxpayer dollars to prosecute patients and others involved in the state-legal medical cannabis industry.
Rescheduling could have an outsized impact on the legal marijuana market in the nation’s capital.
Senator Thune received an “F” grade from NORML in its 2024 voter guide.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 9-5 to approve legislation which will eliminate the ability of federal agencies to disqualify applicants for federal jobs and security clearances for solely for prior cannabis use.