A much-anticipated U.S. Senate bill to federally legalize marijuana and promote social equity has finally been introduced.
Just over a year after first unveiling a draft version of the cannabis reform legislation, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) formally filed the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) on Thursday. The news of an imminent release starting circulating last week.
Advocates and stakeholders have been eagerly awaiting this moment as leadership has worked to gather input on various provisions and build widespread buy-in. The final bill incorporates significant feedback received through more than 1,800 comments that were submitted following the draft’s release.
But with ongoing talks about reaching a passable compromise this Congress, it’s also possible that certain provisions attached to the new lengthy legislation could serve as building blocks for something else: a more incremental reform package that Schumer has been discussing with bipartisan offices in both chambers.
In any case, the main thrust of the now-filed 296-page legalization bill closely resembles that of the earlier version, which weighed in at a mere 163 pages—though the senators highlighted a number of changes, which generally expand on the draft.
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