Marijuana Moment recently reported that Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace is spearheading a GOP led initiative to end the war on pot – and the timing couldn’t be any better! Essentially this draft legislation de-schedules and taxes cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol.
Marijuana Bill Details
Some notable features of the bill include:
- Interstate commerce is allowed and regulated
- Raw Marijuana would be considered an “agricultural commodity“
- Recreational age-limit set at 21 and up
- VA doctors can start recommending cannabis to their patients
- Vets using medical marijuana cannot be discriminated against towards obtaining federal employment
- Certain non violent federal marijuana convictions would be eligible for expungement
Some more interesting points stand out however:
- State licensed marijuana businesses would be grandfathered into the federal scheme
- The FDA would have limited control on marijuana except towards medical products
- A 3.75% excise tax would be imposed on marijuana sales
- Federal agencies could continue to test for marijuana
The Real Deal
This draft legislation is thus far the most progressive cannabis related bill authored by any Republican. Not only does this bill de-schedule marijuana, but it also preserves the legal markets in those states which have them – and affords social justice measures to individuals negatively impacted by the war on drugs.
Cannabis reform is nothing new to Congresswoman Mace however, back home she sponsored legislation to afford residents of South Carolina safe access to medical marijuana. It’s unclear how this measure will stack up against the M.O.R.E. act which has already gained much steam in the Senate, but it’s good to know this draft is shaping up in the unfortunate event there is a marijuana showdown to the end.
Image source: Congresswoman Mace visits McEntire Joint National Guard Ba… | Flickr
It’ll never happen. Politicians should stop blowing invisible smoke up everyone’s Ass making citizens think that a politician is actually gonna do something to help. South Carolina will always be the first to fuck everything up and the last to do anything helpful. I saw it first hand daily. The only good thing to come outta South Carolina is I-85. It’ll at least take you into states that are part of the 21st century. Give up on South Carolina. Politicians and the rest of the country have.
This is awesome. I think the proposal is just about perfect. This is the bill we want passed. It wont happen if McConnell gains control of the Senate in ’22. So even if Senate Dems have to vote for this proposal lets get it done before election ’22