Sen. Fetterman joins Democrats pushing to reintroduce federal marijuana legalization | OH/PA News

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator to Pennsylvania, John Fetterman (D-PA) has joined 17 Democrats on Capitol Hill in the latest push to federally legalize marijuana.

In a Tuesday press release, Senator Fetterman shared his support for reintroducing the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act which would end the federal prohibition of cannabis by removing it from the list of federally controlled substances.

Fetterman and other lawmakers in support of the bill have said that it would “empower states to create their own laws.”

“I’ve always been very pro-weed,” Senator Fetterman stated in the release. “In a very libertarian slant: I’m not going to judge anyone for using it to knock the edge off of life. I think your path to wellness should be without judgement or punishment—legal, safe, and regulated. I supported President Biden and President Trump when they took steps on the issue. But it is time for Congress to stop d***ing around and make weed legal. This bill is a good step forward.”

The bill was last discussed on the Senate floor in 2024 where it was referred to the Committee on Finance.

Along with removing cannabis from the federal controlled substances list, the 2026 version of the bill would also require the Department of Transportation to create standards for cannabis-impaired driving; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would also be directed to collect data on cannabis-impaired driving, create educational materials and media campaigns.

The bill would also reportedly encourage cannabis research through the Government Accountability Office, Department of Health and Human Services, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Institutes of Health. Veterans’ Affairs would also be required to carry out a series of clinical trials studying how medical cannabis could impact veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Federal taxation on cannabis would also change if the bill passed. It would eliminate the tax code’s restriction on cannabis businesses claiming deductions for business expenses and implementing an excise tax on cannabis products. Rules within market competition would also be established to “protect independent producers, wholesalers, and retailers and prevent anti-competitive behavior,” according to Fetterman’s release.

A variety of grants and investments are also planned within the bill to “minimize barriers to cannabis licensing” and help those “adversely impacted by the ‘War on Drugs’”.

Workers’ rights with regard to cannabis are also noted in the proposed bill. It would remove “unnecessary” pre-employment and random drug testing for cannabis work to ensure protections for anyone employed in the cannabis industry.

The reintroduction was spearheaded by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

In addition to Fetterman, the legislation was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Patty Murray (D-WA).

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