Representative Nancy Mace (S.C.) introduced the States Reform Act of 2021 as H.R. 5977 on November 15, 2021. The bill is the first federal cannabis legalization proposal sponsored by a Republican lawmaker. While the reaction from the cannabis community has been mixed, some hope that this will lead to further dialogue about compromise legislation.
Contents
States Reform Act of 2021 Coverage
“Today, only 3 states lack some form of legal cannabis. My home state of South Carolina permits CBD, Florida allows medical marijuana, California and others have full recreational use, for example. Every state is different. Cannabis reform at the federal level must take all of this into account. And it’s past time federal law codifies this reality.”
“This is why I’m introducing the States Reform Act, a bill which seeks to remove cannabis from Schedule I in a manner consistent with the rights of states to determine what level of cannabis reform each state already has, or not.
“This bill supports veterans, law enforcement, farmers, businesses, those with serious illnesses, and it is good for criminal justice reform. Furthermore, a super-majority of Americans support an end to cannabis prohibition, which is why only 3 states in the country have no cannabis reform at all.
“The States Reform Act takes special care to keep Americans and their children safe while ending federal interference with state cannabis laws. Washington needs to provide a framework which allows states to make their own decisions on cannabis moving forward. This bill does that.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, in a statement, on introducing States Reform Act
“I am a passionate supporter of a states’ rights approach to cannabis. For too long, the federal government has stood in the way of states that have acted to set their own cannabis policies. It is long past time to update our cannabis laws for the 21st Century,”
Representative Don Young (R-A.K.), House Cannabis Caucus Co-chair
States Reform Act Status
Draft Text of H.R. 5977
SRA-Final-Bill-TextStates Reform Act of 2021 Summary
The following PDF provides a break down, section by section, of what provisions are contained in H.R. 5977.
SRA-Policy-BriefSource: Office of Rep. Nancy Mace
- Struggle between large, small growers over Ohio cannabis reform
A Senate measure that would expand significantly the state’s medical marijuana system for businesses and patients got its second committee hearing Tuesday. The proposal is beginning to move as a different and more expansive recreational measure gathers signatures for next year’s ballot. - Reps. Dave Joyce and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Introduce Legislation To Expunge Marijuana Records
Today, Representatives Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced legislation to incentivize state and local governments to expunge the criminal records of tens of millions of Americans who have previously been convicted of marijuana offenses. - New Jersey Entrepreneurs bring social equity company REEForm to East Coast
Social justice in cannabis is a popular topic, but actual change is elusive. Two New Jersey cannabis entrepreneurs built a business around making a difference in their community. They’re trying to deliver on the promise of social equity in cannabis. On September 14, New Jerseyians gathered at the Doubletree Hilton in Newark to learn about… - Head of NORML optimistic on cannabis banking through NDAA
While defense bills don’t usually interest cannabis advocates, an amendment added by Representative Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) included the language of the SAFE Banking Act in the NDAA. With the standalone bill stalled in the Senate Banking Committee, an amendment to the “must-pass” legislation could be the key. - Advocate responds to SD high court overturning adult-use cannabis
South Dakota’s highest court sided with the state’s governor today in declaring an amendment legalizing cannabis invalid. Amendment A, which passed with 54% support, would have legalized cannabis for anyone over 21. - Organizer says next steps on Ohio adult-use cannabis by month’s end
Ohio attorney Thomas Haren, a representative of the “Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol,” said he expects that enough signatures will be gathered to move a proposal forward that would allow for adult use, sale, and possession of marijuana in Ohio. - Montana regulators will reverse proposed CBD, dispensary worker rules
The Montana Department of Revenue told lawmakers this week that it will strike a pair of proposed rules implementing the state’s fledgling recreational marijuana program after hearing considerable input from members of the public, the cannabis industry and legislators who warned that the rules veered from the intent of House Bill 701, an act passed this session regulating the adult-use pot. - Cannabis prices soar in Louisiana due to regulatory bottleneck
A regulatory bottleneck in Louisiana’s medical marijuana supply chain has inflated costs far beyond the prices found in other states, according to industry experts who testified at the Louisiana Legislature’s Medical Marijuana Commission meeting Thursday. - Critics say AZ ‘social equity’ program makes Big Cannabis even richer
“This is a program that, as currently written, is designed to fail,” attorney Julie Gunnigle said to Arizona Mirror. Gunnigle up until recently worked for Arizona’s Chapter of NORML, an organization that pushes for the reform of marijuana laws across the United States. - Bipartisan bill to reduce Wisconsin cannabis fines introduced
Wisconsin legislators are taking another crack at a bipartisan push to achieve cannabis reform in the state. A new piece of legislation, co-authored by Rep. Shae Sortwell (R-Gibson), Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Valez (D-Milwaukee), Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) and Sen. Kathleen Bernier (R- Chippewa Falls), reduces existing penalties for cannabis possession.