Senator introduces bill to create framework for federal cannabis legalization

Senator John Hickenlooper introduced a bill Thursday that would set the regulatory framework in the event the federal government legalizes marijuana.

Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, said the Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult Use Regulated Environment (PREPARE) Act would help the government prepare for such a dramatic policy change.

The bill’s passage comes ten years after Colorado became the first state in the country to legalize recreational cannabis, when voters there approved Amendment 64, which happened when Hickenlooper was serving as the state’s governor.

Hickenlooper established a task force a month after that vote in 2012 to make recommendations for the state’s cannabis regulations.

With the PREPARE Act, Hickenlooper said he’s drawing from the same playbook.

“Colorado successfully pioneered marijuana legalization a decade ago, thanks in part to the Amendment 64 Task Force,” Hickenlooper said in a statement Thursday. “Federal legalization doesn’t have to start from scratch, and we should prepare for it when it arrives.”

The senator’s office said that the bill would establish “a fair, honest, and publicly transparent process for developing regulations at the federal level that incorporates many of the lessons learned from those states,” and that the legislation “is a companion to the Senate Republican Congressman Dave Joyce’s bipartisan bill in the House of Representatives.”

“I’m thrilled that the PREPARE bill is going into the Senate, making it not only more bipartisan but also bicameral and bringing it one step closer to becoming a law,” Joyce said in Thursday’s news release. “This legislation gives lawmakers on both sides of the aisle the answers they need to effectively advocate for cannabis reform, regulate it safely and effectively, and repair the damage caused by the failed war on cannabis. With these answers, Congress can develop a much-needed federal regulatory framework that not only respects each state’s unique needs, rights, and laws, but also ensures a responsible end to prohibition and a safer future for our communities. I was proud to drive the passage of this sensible bill in the House of Representatives and thank Senator Hickenlooper for driving it in the Senate. I look forward to continuing to work together to pave the way for broader reforms.”

Despite having control of Congress and the White House, Democrats failed to get a federal legalization bill across the finish line before next week’s midterm elections.

The House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act in April, which would have removed pot from the Controlled Substances Act.

But the Democrat-led Senate has yet to introduce its own version of a legalization bill.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said last weekend that the Senate is “very close” to passing legislation that would allow federally legal cannabis retailers to receive financial services from banks. The legislation would also include waivers for marijuana convictions, although it would not legalize marijuana.

President Joe Biden last month announced pardons for anyone convicted of federal marijuana possession, while also announcing his intention to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.

“Federal law currently classifies marijuana under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the classification designed for the most dangerous substances. This is the same timeline as heroin and LSD, and even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetamine — the drugs driving our overdose epidemic,” Biden said at the time.

“Too many lives have been turned upside down because of our failed approach to marijuana,” the president added. “It is time we corrected these mistakes.”