Washington, DC: A bipartisan coalition of House lawmakers have introduced legislation, the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act, protecting state-level marijuana legalization laws and allowing for the interstate commerce of cannabis products between legal states.
“The current federal approach to cannabis policy infringes on the rights of states to implement their own laws, stifling critical medical research, hurting legitimate businesses, and diverting vital law enforcement resources needed elsewhere,” said Rep. David Joyce (R-OH), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus and the lead sponsor of the bill. “The STATES Act does what every federal bill should do – help all 50 states succeed. This bill respects the will of the states that have legalized cannabis in some form and allows them to implement their own policies without fear of repercussion from the federal government.”
Congressman Joyce is joined by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Troy Carter (D-LA), Rep. Lori Chavez-Remer (R-OR), and Brian Mast (R-FL). A more limited version of the STATES Act was initially introduced in Congress in 2018.
The STATES Act is one of several House bills, including the States Reform Act and the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, that seek to remove marijuana from the scheduling system established by the Controlled Substances Act. However, it is unlikely that newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will prioritize any of these measures. Representative Johnson has repeatedly voted against proposed legislative changes in federal marijuana policy, and he has criticized Democratic leadership for advancing cannabis reform measures, particularly The MORE Act.
Additional information on federal reform legislation is available from NORML’s Take Action Center.