A Democratic senator has filed a bill aimed at laying the groundwork for federal marijuana legalization.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced the legislation—titled the Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult-Use Regulated Environment Act (PREPARE) Act—on Thursday.
The measure would direct the attorney general to create a commission charged with making recommendations on a regulatory system for cannabis that models what’s currently in place for alcohol.
It was filed on the same day that President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing marijuana to be rescheduled from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.
Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) introduced a version of the cannabis commission bill in the House in April, and Hickenlooper has sponsored iterations of the legislation over the past two Congresses.
Hickenlooper, who served as governor of Colorado when voters approved a recreational cannabis legalization initiative in 2012, which he campaigned against at the time, said in a social media post on Monday that Trump’s marijuana executive order represents “another example of Colorado blazing the trail.”
“Now release and expunge records for everyone who was charged with federal marijuana crimes,” he said, “and let’s pass our bill
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
