Fetterman Supports Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has joined more than a dozen Senate colleagues in supporting legislation that would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances.

Fetterman’s office announced Tuesday that he supports the reintroduced Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. The bill would allow states to establish their own marijuana laws.

The legislation was filed Thursday with 17 Democratic co-sponsors. It is similar to proposals introduced during the previous two sessions of Congress but includes new provisions related to hemp THC products.

The bill would establish a Center for Cannabis Products to regulate cannabis production, labeling, distribution, sales and other industry operations. It would also create programs and funding intended to prevent youth cannabis use.

The Department of Transportation would be required to develop standards for cannabis-impaired driving. States would also be encouraged to adopt cannabis open-container laws.

Federal oversight of cannabis would be transferred to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The legislation would allow cannabis businesses to claim federal tax deductions for business expenses, establish an excise tax on cannabis products and create competition rules for producers, wholesalers and retailers.

The proposal would require the Government Accountability Office to study the effects of cannabis legalization. The Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health would be directed to conduct or support cannabis research.

Grants would also be created to expand cannabis research at colleges and universities, including minority-serving institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The legislation would establish a Cannabis Justice Office within the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs. Federal cannabis tax revenue would fund an Opportunity Trust Fund for communities and individuals affected by marijuana enforcement.

The bill would eliminate pre-employment and random cannabis testing for federal employees. It would also provide grants for education, outreach and enforcement of workers’ rights in the cannabis industry.

The Drug Policy Alliance, Doctors for Drug Policy Reform and Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition are among the groups supporting the proposal.

Twenty-four states have legalized recreational marijuana, while 35 states permit medical cannabis use.

Fetterman has supported marijuana legalization for years and conducted a statewide listening tour on the issue while serving as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor.

Pennsylvania’s other U.S. senator, Republican Dave McCormick, has opposed moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. McCormick joined 21 Republican senators in a December letter opposing reclassification, although he has described himself as a supporter of medical marijuana.

A Susquehanna Polling and Research survey conducted in April found support for legalizing recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania among 72% of Democrats, 67% of Republicans and 64% of independents.

Marijuana that is not sold through a state medical program or approved by the Food and Drug Administration remains classified as a Schedule I controlled substance.