Skip to main content

Blumenauer: “It’s time for the federal government to catch up”

December 2, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C—Today, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, released the following statement in celebration of President Biden signing his Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act and encouraging the Senate to move a meaningful end-of-year legislative cannabis package:  

“In my decades long fight to end the failed war on drugs and the misguided federal prohibition of cannabis, I have never felt as optimistic about our progress as I do now.

“This afternoon, President Biden signed my legislation to make it easier for researchers to study the impacts and potential of cannabis. Every week, thousands of Americans fail pre-employment drug tests, not because they are impaired but because they used state-legal cannabis days or weeks earlier. This contributes to our huge problems with critical workforce shortages. Being able to do research on cannabis without burdensome red tape will help us develop an accurate test for impairment. 

“The enactment of this legislation, coupled the President’s recent actions on cannabis reform, is very encouraging. While we celebrate these profound developments, it is critical that we not let this momentum die. In the coming weeks, it is imperative that the Senate pass a legislative package that includes critical, bipartisan cannabis reforms, including:  

 

·         The SAFE Banking Act, which will finally allow state-regulated cannabis businesses to access banking services;  

·         My Veterans Equal Access Act, which ensures our veterans equal opportunity to access medical marijuana as civilian counterparts without seeking care outside of the VA system and;  

·         The HOPE Act, which provides federal funding for states working to expunge cannabis convictions.  

“The anticipation on Capitol Hill is higher than ever. More than 155 million Americans—nearly half of our nation’s population—live in a state or locality where cannabis is legal in some form. It’s time for the federal government to catch up. Before the end of the year, we can take the most meaningful step forward to date in our work to reimagine the federal government’s approach to cannabis.”  

###  

Since 1973, Congressman Blumenauer has been leading the charge in cannabis reform. In 2017, he founded the bipartisan Congressional Cannabis Caucus to create a forum where Members engage, discuss, and learn about the need to establish a more rational approach to federal cannabis policy.