GOP Lawmakers want to further decriminalize Marihuana

Two Republican members of the House of Representatives tabled a bill Thursday that would effectively enforce the decriminalization of marijuana at the federal level. The action, the Common Sense Cannabis Reform for Veterans, Small Businesses, and Medical Professionals Act, was submitted by Congressional Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs, Alaskan Don Young and Ohio Rep. Dave Joyce. If passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, the federal decriminalization of marijuana bill would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act. The measure would also be approved by the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau are calling for cannabis regulation rules modeled after those for the alcohol industry to be enacted within one year of adoption. The goal of the legislation is to reform the nation's archaic cannabis policy, which Young described as "ineffective". "For too long the outdated cannabis policy of the federal government of both individual freedom and the rights of the state after the 10th." It is long time that these archaic laws were updated for the 21st century. " The bill would also provide federal preventive protection to financial institutions and other companies in states that have not legalized marijuana so they can serve legal cannabis companies. In addition, the legislation would allow Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to legally prescribe medical cannabis for military veterans. "This bill takes significant steps to modernize our laws by removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and allowing the VA to prescribe medicinal cannabis to veterans, in addition to finally allowing state-legal cannabis companies to provide traditional financial services can avail, "added Young. The Common Sense Cannabis Reform for Veterans, Small Businesses and Medical Professionals Act also directs the National Institutes of Health to conduct two cannabis research studies. The first would study the effectiveness of cannabis as a means of treating pain, while the second would study the impairment caused by cannabis. The law provides that reports on the two studies be submitted to Congress within two years of the law coming into effect. "With more than 40 states in motion on this issue, it is time for Congress to recognize that continued cannabis prohibition is neither tenable nor the will of American voters," said Joyce. "My legislation responds to the American people's call for change and addresses our states' need for clarity by creating an effective federal regulatory framework for cannabis that helps veterans, supports small businesses and their workers, enables critical research, and the opioid - Fights the crisis while respecting the rights of states to make their own cannabis policy decisions that are best for their constituents, "he continued. Justin Strekal, the political director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), in a statement by the activist group called on more federal lawmakers to join the push for cannabis reform at the federal level. "It is our hope that more Congressional Republicans will follow the lead of MPs Joyce and Young, as well as the American people, in supporting an end to the failed and pointless federal criminalization of marijuana by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act "said Strekal. The bill tabled on Thursday isn't the only upcoming piece of legislation reforming federal cannabis policy. In December, the House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, a measure that would also remove cannabis from the nation's controlled substances list. It was the first time in history that the entire House of Representatives voted on a law to decriminalize marijuana. This measure is awaiting action by the Senate.