The Cannabis Stewardship and Opportunity Act would let states decide whether to legalize the drug. Many, including New Jersey, already have, putting them in conflict with federal law. These state-legal enterprises will be able to obtain checking accounts, credit cards and other financial services that are now denied to them. The bill would eliminate federal cannabis convictions and encourage states to follow suit. require the Food and Drug Administration to set strong standards for the health, safety, and labeling of cannabis; encourage research into the drug; impose a federal excise tax of 5% to 12.5% on smaller businesses and 10 % to 25% for larger businesses; and direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to address drugged driving by requiring a cannabis-impaired driving standard within three years. “As more states legalize cannabis and work to reverse the many injustices of the failed war on drugs against black, brown and low-income people, the federal government continues to lag woefully behind,” said US Senator Cory Booker, a by The bill’s primary sponsors along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Finance Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore. “With strong restorative justice provisions for communities affected by the drug war, support for small cannabis businesses and the elimination of federal cannabis offenses, this bill reflects long overdue, common sense drug policy,” he said. Booker. The federal law would still prevent the use or sale of cannabis in states that have not legalized the drug. The Department of Justice will provide grants to help small law enforcement departments hire officers, investigators and community experts to combat black market sales. The bill would limit the sale of cannabis to people over the age of 21 and fund programs to prevent youth marijuana use. The FDA’s new Center for Cannabis Products will set labeling standards, including potency and servings. The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service will offer guidance on patient use of medical marijuana and work to prevent people from buying large quantities of the drug in states where it is legal to sell it elsewhere. Those harmed by the war on drugs will have access to financing to enter the cannabis business, and those who use marijuana will not face the loss of federal benefits such as housing or student loans. Marijuana testing for federal employees will be limited to those employees in areas such as national security, law enforcement and commercial transportation. The FDA and the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade would take over jurisdiction over marijuana from the Drug Enforcement Administration and regulate it like alcohol and tobacco. Legal marijuana businesses will be able to deduct their expenses just like other businesses. Federal taxes will be used to help communities and individuals most affected by the war on drugs, including grants to community organizations to offer job training, legal aid, mentoring and literacy programs. Loans will be granted directly to small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged people and to lenders who will grant these loans. And federal research in medical real estate will increase, including offering grants to develop research facilities and universities, especially minority-serving institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The bill had been in the works for more than a year as Democrats took control of the Senate and Schumer promised to introduce legislation in hopes it would attract the 60 votes needed to pass in their chamber. That would require at least 10 Republicans to vote with every Democrat, but many GOP senators now come from states that have legalized cannabis for medical or personal use. “The introduction of comprehensive cannabis reform legislation in the Senate, by the majority leader himself, is the strongest sign yet that cannabis prohibition in America is coming to an end,” said Steve Hawkins, CEO of the Cannabis Council of USA. There were, however, some disagreements. “Under the guise of social justice, increased entrepreneurship and other false narratives, this bill will guarantee our next slow-moving public health crisis — all while bypassing the rigorous review/approval processes that have had to clear other psychoactive drugs,” said former Rep. Patrick Kennedy. , DR.I., co-founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. “By commercializing legal marijuana, tobacco companies, liquor companies, financial institutions and the pharmaceutical industry stand to make billions. Let’s not forget who the real ‘winners’ are here.” The House has twice passed legislation to end federal cannabis prohibition and to help communities and individuals hardest hit by the war on drugs. But so far, the Senate has refused to move forward. “A majority of Americans now support the legalization of cannabis, and Congress must act to end decades of over-criminalization,” Schumer said. “It’s Time to End Federal Cannabis Prohibition.” Additionally, the Senate never took incremental steps like the Secure and Fair Enforcement, or SAFE, Banking Act, even forcing it out of unrelated legislation that Democrats managed to add to it in the House. Booker has opposed passing SAFE Banking on his own, saying the moneyed interests pushing for that bill would lose interest in also championing restorative justice issues if their priority goes into effect. But Hawkins said Congress should move now on more cannabis legislation. “The ambitious and sweeping nature of the bill should not distract Congress from advancing limited but critical reforms, such as elimination and the SAFE Banking Act, that are immediately achievable,” he said. Our journalism needs your support. Sign up today at NJ.com. Jonathan D. Salant can be achieved at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant.
