President Donald Trump’s marijuana rescheduling executive order represents progress, bipartisan lawmakers say. But with that policy change now moving forward, some key House and Senate members are previewing their priorities for future reform—from giving cannabis businesses access to the banking system to legalizing marijuana altogether.
The order Trump signed on Thursday directs the attorney general to complete a process to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which would not make it legal but would let cannabis businesses take federal tax deductions and lift certain research barriers. The action received uniquely bipartisan praise, a rarity in the current political climate.
But Democrats, as well as select GOP lawmakers, are making clear that rescheduling marijuana isn’t the end game, with a range of bills on the table to build upon the incremental reform that they want to push through.
That includes the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking act to protect banks that service state-licensed cannabis businesses and the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) to end federal prohibition and address the harms of the drug war.
Here’s what lawmakers are saying about the rescheduling action and goals for additional reform:
Senate Minority
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