It emerges that many U.S. citizens wish for nationwide, federal cannabis legalisation. This is according to former California congressman Dana Rohrabacher. Rohrabacher, who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives between 1989 and 2019 hinted at a possible lifting of the federal cannabis prohibition in the U.S. saying that it would be “fantastic.”
“I believe that we will see the removal of federal cannabis prohibition in the USA, and cannabis policy will be left to individual states to decide,” the former U.S. lawmaker stated on the April issue of the Medical Cannabis Network Quarterly Issue 2.
Federal Government should oversee interstate commerce
According to Rohrabacher, the federal government should only supervise interstate business by instilling proper regulation the same way it does with other agricultural crops. He reiterated that it’s upon the Congress to come up with a bill, pass, and forward it to the President’s desk.
“I think that when that happens, President Trump will sign the legislation, just as he signed the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp in the US,” says the former representative who is also a staunch cannabis campaigner.
Stating that cannabis policy is purely a states’ issue, he also underscored the potential economic benefits of cannabis, which he said are “abundant and undeniable.”
Review the federal tax and banking laws
In the transition towards the legalisation of medical and adult-use of cannabis, Rohrabacher called for the review of the federal tax and banking laws to match the needs of the growing sector. He says that currently, cannabis firms pay “a ridiculous” amount of federal taxes and that should stop. He also added that many cannabis companies have had their bank accounts frozen, while others are not even lucky to get an account in the first place.
“Cannabis companies that are complying with state laws should be afforded the same deductions and access to the US banking system as any other business that is complying with state laws.”
As lawmakers continue to debate cannabis albeit, at a low-level hum, America already has eleven states and the District of Columbia, which have legalized the business and consumption of recreational marijuana. All the same, interstate laws apply in terms of possession, personal cultivation, distribution, and concentrates.
