Several cannabis-related bills pending in Congress





Last update: August 28, 2020



The 116th Congress went into session in January 2019, and several marijuana reform bills were introduced in both chambers. See below for a listing of legislation we are tracking on the federal level, and stay tuned for information on the progress of these bills and opportunities to take action.

H.R. 3884, S. 2227 – Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019

House Sponsor: Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY); 67 cosponsors

Senate Sponsor: Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA); 5 cosponsors

Purpose: This legislation would federally decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, thus allowing states to set their own policies. It also contains strong social equity provisions with an emphasis on restorative justice for communities most impacted by cannabis prohibition.

Action: Tell your U.S. Representative to support the MORE Act on the House floor!

H.R. 1595, S. 1200 – SAFE Banking Act of 2019

House Sponsor: Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO); 206 cosponsors

Senate Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR); 33 cosponsors

Purpose: This legislation would prevent federal regulators from punishing financial institutions for providing services to cannabis-related businesses operating in compliance with state laws.

Roll call: See how your representatives voted on this bill. (September 25, 2019)

Action: Urge your U.S. Senators to support banking access for cannabis businesses!

S. 1028, H.R. 2093 – Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act

Senate Sponsor: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA); 9 cosponsors

House Sponsor: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR); 63 cosponsors

Purpose: This legislation would protect states’ rights to enact their own marijuana policies without federal interference.

Action: Urge your members of Congress to support the STATES Act!

House Amendment 398 (Blumenauer-McClintock-Norton Amendment) to H.R. 3055 (Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, and Further Health Extenders Act of 2019)

House Sponsors: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)

Purpose: This is an amendment to the appropriations bill to prohibit the Department of Justice from interfering with state cannabis programs.

Roll call: See how your representatives voted on this amendment. (June 20, 2019)

Action: Urge your U.S. Senators to support protections for state legalization programs!

H.R. 127 – The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act of 2019

Sponsor: Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN); 13 cosponsors

Purpose: This legislation would permit states to implement medical cannabis programs without federal intervention. It would also allow physicians with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to recommend cannabis to veterans. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is expected to introduce a Senate companion bill.

H.R. 420 – Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act

Sponsor: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR); 4 cosponsors

Purpose: This legislation would remove cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act. It would also transfer cannabis enforcement authority from the Drug Enforcement Administration to a renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Firearms and Explosives.

Click here for a complete listing of all marijuana-related legislation pending in Congress.

Attorney General William Barr says he won't go after legal marijuana businesses



On January 4, 2018, the Department of Justice announced that it was abolishing existing protections that prevent federal prosecutors from interfering in states that have decided to legalize marijuana. In doing so, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions indicated that he planned to use the power of the federal government to attack the ability of states to decide their own laws, running roughshod over states’ rights and willfully ignoring the votes of millions of Americans. In every state where marijuana is legal, Americans voted to approve legalization at the ballot box. This was a direct attack on the will of the people.

A majority of Americans support legalization, and the announcement resulted in shock and outrage from both sides of the aisle. Republican Senators like Cory Gardner and Lisa Murkowski both spoke out against Sessions’ decision, and Democrats were unified in their resistance, with Sen. Cory Booker calling it “an attack on our most sacred ideals.” House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi stated, “Sessions’ decision bulldozes over the will of the American people and insults the democratic process.” We applaud all members of Congress who spoke out against Sessions’ decision.

With Sessions out, Attorney General William Barr pledged during his Senate confirmation hearing not to "go after" marijuana businesses that are acting in compliance with state laws.

Nonetheless, the only sure way to prevent federal action against legal marijuana in states across the country is for Congress to finally address the glaring contradiction between state and federal law on this issue. Contact your members of Congress today to let them know that the time has come to recognize that states should determine their own marijuana policies. This is the year that we can finally convince Congress to listen to the voters that chose to tax and regulate marijuana, rather than continue with the failed policy of prohibition.

Current marijuana laws in the United States



Eleven U.S. states and the nation’s capital have made marijuana legal for all adults, and a total of 33 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands allow for comprehensive public medical marijuana programs.

Contained within the federal budget are provisions to protect a states' rights to responsibly regulate medical marijuana programs. Since December 2014, the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment has prohibited the Justice Department from spending funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws. This amendment must be renewed each fiscal year in order to remain in effect and has been included in a series of spending bills.

On the federal level, the House has voted twice to end the crackdown on medical marijuana, demonstrating bipartisan support for real federal marijuana policy change.

The president himself recognizes the benefit of these reforms. While on the campaign trail, Donald Trump was asked his view on state marijuana policy reform, and he consistently said it should be a states’ rights decision. There is now more momentum than ever for ending marijuana prohibition.

Ask your members of Congress to let states decide their own marijuana policies.

