A cannabis legalization bill originally proposed in 2021 has been reintroduced by Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) seeks to legalize cannabis at a federal level by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Fourteen Democratic senators have co-sponsored the bill.
Though cannabis was rescheduled earlier this year, the rescheduling only included states where cannabis is medically legal. Supporters of cannabis legalization have long advocated for the removal of marijuana from the CSA, arguing that reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule 1 substance to a Schedule 3 does little to address the complications of cannabis prohibition. Because marijuana has been illegal at the federal level, communities across the country have been impacted by cannabis-related convictions.
Scientists have faced limitations to how cannabis research can be conducted. Cannabis companies can struggle to find health insurance providers and payroll processing companies that are willing to work with a company that produces something that is federally illegal.
“For decades, generations have suffered unjustly under the failed War on Drugs and broken cannabis laws—hurting primarily people of color. It is long overdue that we stand up for them,” Booker said in a joint press release. “I am proud to reintroduce this commonsense legislation, which will dismantle the unjust and outdated federal marijuana prohibition, establish a federal regulatory framework to protect public health and safety, expunge past convictions for low-level cannabis offenses, and deliver restorative justice to the communities most harmed by decades of failed drug policy.” Schumer and Wyden echoed these concerns, noting how the criminalization of cannabis has disproportionately impacted communities of color.
According to the bill summary, concerns that cannabis prohibition has stunted scientific research and encouraged purchases on the black markett played a crucial role in reintroducing the CAOA.
“Despite widespread public support for legalization and the demonstrated potential for job creation and economic growth, cannabis remains illegal at the federal level. This prohibition has stymied research into the effects of cannabis, made it easier for the black market to thrive, and ruined the lives of thousands of people arrested for simple cannabis possession” the lawmakers wrote. “CAOA decriminalizes cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act, and empowers states to create their own cannabis laws. This ensures that businesses in the cannabis industry or adjacent industries will no longer be denied bank accounts or financial services simply because of their ties to cannabis.”
Also included in the bill would be the elimination of drug testing for cannabis in the workplace, the development of programs to prevent children from using cannabis, and expanding federal protections for those employed by the cannabis industry.
