With several new states having legalized marijuana in 2021—in addition to some modest congressional developments—reform advocates put some wins on the board this year. Now a congressional memo is laying out priorities to build upon those successes for 2022. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), longstanding champions of reform, released the memo on behalf of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus that they co-chair. It lists the numerous pieces of marijuana legislation that have been filed this on Capitol Hill this session, including some that did advance, and then explains what to watch for next year. While the lawmakers’ memo—which was shared exclusively with Marijuana Moment ahead of its release—highlights momentum that has developed behind cannabis reform in the House this year, it also notes that the Senate still has a lot of work to do. In the meantime, arguably the most consequential reforms of 2021 did not take place in Congress. Instead, as the new report acknowledges, it was the record number of states that legalized marijuana for adult use, as well as Alabama legalizing medical cannabis.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/15/2021 19:00:00