GOP lawmakers officially submit cannabis legalization law

By Maureen Meehan

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) officially puts forward her cannabis legalization plan, the State Reform Act, endorsed by at least half a dozen Republicans, which will legalize cannabis essentially at the federal level “in accordance with” state law Determine what level of cannabis reform or legalization each state wants to regulate or not. “

Bill highlights:

• Federally decriminalizes cannabis and fully submits to state powers over bans and commercial regulations
• Regulates cannabis products such as alcohol products
• Introduces a federal excise tax of 3% on these products to fund law enforcement and small business programs.
• Ensures the continuation of government medical cannabis programs and patient access while enabling the development of new medical research and products
• Protect our veterans by making sure they will not face federal discrimination or lose their VA health care for following their doctor’s advice on medicinal cannabis use
• Protects children and young adults under the age of 21 from cannabis products and advertising nationwide
• Protects medical cannabis for the following uses: arthritis, cancer, chronic pain, sickle cells, HIV / AIDS, PTSD, and other medical uses according to a state’s specific cannabis regulations.

Photo by Moussa81 / Getty Images

Taxes: An issue in the Democratic Cannabis Legalization Act

By comparison, the proposed law to legalize cannabis by Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker, and Ron Wyden would include a 25.5% excise duty, which is seen as inappropriately high, especially for small businesses.

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Weldon Angelos is the Co-Coordinator of the Cannabis Freedom Alliance (CFA). He worked with Mace’s team to draft this legislation. Speaking to Benzinga, he said, “The States Reform Act is an exciting move towards compromise on cannabis criminal justice and progress on the First Step Act. Rep. Mace brings constructive solutions that promise to bring more Republicans to the table bring to end an unjust root cause of mass incarceration. “

RELATED: GOP Legislators Bring Cannabis Legalization Bill – Will This Bring the Nation closer to Federal Reform?

When the news of the GOP-led legalization draft first broke, it seemed clear that a Republican effort would be essential to any real legal movement.

“If the legalization efforts are approved in both houses, we will not need President Biden’s signature,” said Angelos, pointing out the president’s obvious prohibitionist tendencies. “It could be.”

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.