Republicans Act to Decriminalize Marijuana in the US at the Federal Level

Members of the Republican Party in the Chamber of Deputies of USA presented a bill this Monday (15) to decriminalize the marihuana at the federal level in the country, eliminate the legal risks faced by many companies in the cannabis sector and also regulate the use of the plant, in line with what is done with alcohol.

Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who is leading the legislative initiative, described the bill as a “middle ground”, with less onerous regulations than measures previously proposed by other lawmakers, including those from the Democratic Party.

The path of the bill in the House, controlled by the Democrats, is still uncertain. Mace, a first-term lawmaker, said the measure has five Republican co-authors.

Adult use of cannabis is legal in 18 US states and allowed for medical use in 36. But the plant remains illegal under federal law, preventing banks and other investors from getting involved with companies that market marijuana or related products. .

“The project could also support companies, especially small companies. This is very important,” Mace said at a news conference. “If we approved the project today (…) companies could operate and be legal and regulated just like alcohol”.

Called the State Reform Act, the republican bill would pass on issues related to prohibition and regulation to the states.

The bill would ban marijuana use by people under the age of 21, restrict advertising, protect access to hires and benefits for veterans who have used cannabis, and eliminate criminal records of people convicted of nonviolent substance-related offenses.

The bill diverges in several important ways from the draft that had been proposed in July by Senate Democrats, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Mace’s bill could impose a 3% tax on cannabis, compared with the Senate’s progressive tax of up to 25%.

While the Senate proposal would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a primary oversight role, the Republican bill limits FDA involvement to medical marijuana and makes the Treasury Department’s Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Taxes the primary regulator of interstate commerce.