The leader of the U.S. Senate and colleagues will be releasing a discussion draft of a long-awaited bill to federally legalize cannabis on Wednesday, Marijuana Moment has learned. Two sources who were briefed on the plans said that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) will hold a press conference Wednesday to unveil a preliminary version of what’s being titled the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. Details of the proposal’s provisions are not yet available, but the purpose of the draft being released is to spark conversation to inform what will be a formal introduction of the bill at a later date. Advocates have been anxiously anticipating the legislation, which Schumer has repeatedly said was coming “soon” after he, Wyden, and Booker first pledged in February that it would be ready “in the early part of this year.”Since then, the majority leader has been making the case for reform everywhere from the Senate floor on 4/20 to a cannabis rally in New York City. Beyond ending prohibition, Schumer said the proposal he and his colleagues are working on will “ensure restorative justice, public health and implement responsible taxes and regulations,” similar to what New York lawmakers sought to accomplish in a legalization bill that the governor signed into law this year.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 07/13/2021 05:30:00