April 20 is nearly synonymous with marijuana use, so it seems appropriate lawmakers would have introduced a bill decriminalizing its use in the United States on that date. This bill would cover the entire country — regardless of existing state-based marijuana laws — removing the drug’s Schedule 1 classification. What are the details of the bill, and what would it mean for marijuana use in the United States?
Bill Introduction
On April 20, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced a bill to change the classification of marijuana at the federal level. Right now, laws classify marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug — putting it in the same group as dangerous drugs like heroin, LSD and cocaine. These drugs have no medical use — according to the federal government — and have a high possibility of dependence and substance abuse.
The newly introduced bill would take marijuana off the Schedule 1 drug list. It would also establish more funding for marijuana businesses, especially those owned by women or minority individuals, and allocate federal funding for research on the drug’s impact on public health.
Finally, it will put marijuana advertisements in the same class as tobacco and alcohol advertising, which would allow the federal government to regulate commercial advertisement for marijuana and related products.
Other Bills Introduced
Schumer’s bill isn’t the only marijuana-related bill lawmakers introduced that week. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, introduced a bill known as the Hemp Farming Act. This bill would not decriminalize marijuana or make it legal, but it would change hemp’s classification from Schedule 1 and allow it to be farmed for CBDs and other cannabinoids.
McConnell’s bill could be a great boon for the marijuana industry — analysts predict by 2020, the industry could be worth upwards of $44 billion. It’s important to note that this number includes both legal and illegal sales.
Sen. Bernie Sanders also reintroduced a cannabis reform bill that would legalize marijuana sales and use for adults in the United States. In addition to this, it would also punish states that continue to include marijuana-negative legislation, especially if that legislation is designed to target offenders due to their race.
This bill has the strictest consequences for states of any of the bills that have been introduced thus far. It is being dubbed the most far-reaching cannabis reform bill to have ever been filed.
The Future of Marijuana Use
What do these bills mean for the future of marijuana use?
Right now, it’s too early to tell. All three of these bills have just been introduced to Congress, so it will take time for them to make it through the House and Senate — and there will likely be some changes to the bills to get both sides to agree to them, if they can make it past anti-pot Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He’s already terminated the policy left over from the Obama administration that allowed each individual state to decide whether or not marijuana is legal in their jurisdiction.
If even one of these bills manages to make it to the president’s desk and get signed into law, it could change the marijuana industry for the better, which could help make the $44-billion-a-year marijuana industry a reality by 2020. It would also allow individuals who need marijuana for medical applications to access the drug.
We may still be a long way off from marijuana legalization or decriminalization, but these new bills are steps in the right direction. There are so many uses for marijuana, both medically and recreationally. It is also safer than many prescription drugs and doesn’t need to be classified as a Schedule 1 drug.
Schumer’s bill, delivered on April 20, might make us laugh because he presented it to Congress on the “stoner’s holiday,” but it could seriously potentially change the classification and handling of marijuana in the United States. Only time will tell, though. We have to wait until these bills make their way through Congress before we might start seeing changes to marijuana legislation in this country, but it’s definitely starting to look up.
Kate is a health and political journalist. You can subscribe to her blog, So Well, So Woman, to read more of her work and receive a free subscriber gift! https://sowellsowoman.com/about/subscribe/