To help further the efforts of the STATES Act, Senate Democratic Leader, Chuck Schumer, introduced his long-awaited legislation to end cannabis prohibition. The Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act, which Schumer originally brought up earlier on April 20th, would de-schedule and decriminalize cannabis, effectively removing it from the Controlled Substance Act as “having no medical benefit” and being “high addictive”. The legislation would, much like STATES, would leave the option to legalize cannabis to the states discretion. This comes days after CBD, or Cannabidiol, was recommended for the same treatment as medicine derived from the plant was approved by the FDA.
Though the decision to de-schedule the plant falls with the DEA, the House of Representatives still has to see the legislation where Pete Sessions has blocked most of the cannabis-related legislation that has come through. If approved, the federal government will still have the authority to prevent trafficking of cannabis to states that haven’t legalized its use.
“The new Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act is about giving states the freedom to be the laboratories that they should be and giving Americans – especially women and minority business owners as well as those convicted of simple possession of marijuana intended for personal use – the opportunity to succeed in today’s economy. This legislation is simply the right thing to do and I am hopeful that the balanced approach it takes can earn bipartisan support in Congress and across the country.”
— Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
The bill would additionally invest $500 million in public health research investigating the effects of THC and other cannabinoids. Finally giving way to research cannabis fully and consistent provide scientific evidence of its uses and benefits.
This is co-sponsored by senators Bernie Sanders, Tim Kaine, and Tammy Duckworth. The legislation would also “level the economic playing field” in the cannabis industry by requiring the Treasury Department to annually transfer an amount equal to 10% of total tax revenue generated by marijuana or $10 million, whichever is greater, to an account called the Marijuana Opportunity Trust Fund. Grants would be doled out by the Small Business Administration to industry outfits controlled by women and socially and economically disadvantaged people.
Written by: Joycelin Arnold
