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Bills in Congress, SAFE Banking, and House and Senate Committees

by Michelle Rutter Friberg, NCIA’s Deputy Director of Government Relations

While it got off to a slow start, the 118th Congress is finally in full swing. Let’s take a look at some of the latest cannabis and government relations news coming out of Washington, D.C.:

Bills are being introduced

When a new Congress begins, all legislation from the last session must be re-introduced and start from scratch again in the legislative process. Over the last few weeks, a couple of cannabis bills have been reintroduced: two from Congressman Greg Steube (R-FL) and one from Congressman Alex Mooney (R-WV). 

Rep. Mooney was the first to introduce a cannabis bill for the 118th Congress when he released his Second Amendment Protection Act. Last Congress, a similar bill was filed by the late Rep. Don Young (R-AK) known as the Gun Rights And Marijuana (GRAM) Act. The full text of the new measure is not yet available so it’s unclear what exactly the bill contains, but advocates expect the bill to be similar to the version Mooney introduced in the 116th Congress. Interestingly, although federal law explicitly prohibits all Americans who consume or possess marijuana from purchasing or possessing a firearm, a judge in Oklahoma late last week declared that ban unconstitutional.

Congressman Steube’s two bills were the Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act and the Marijuana 1-to-3 Act. The former prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from denying a veteran any VA benefit due to participation in a state-approved marijuana program. For veterans participating in these approved programs, the VA must ensure its healthcare providers both discuss marijuana use with such veterans and adjust treatment plans accordingly and record such use in the veterans’ medical records. The latter bill, the Marijuana 1 to 3 Act, has been introduced by Rep. Steube in past sessions and seeks to do exactly what the title says: reschedule cannabis to Schedule 3 – a reform that would not resolve the federal conflict with the vast majority of state laws with some form of legal cannabis 

A SAFE Bet?

The cannabis industry may have been devastated when Congress failed to pass the SAFE Banking Act last Congress, but we’re not giving up yet! Congressional champions have every intention of reintroducing SAFE in both chambers, but don’t expect the bill to look identical to last session. 

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Schumer held a closed-door meeting with a number of other Democratic Senators to discuss what’s next for the bill. Reportedly, the Senators discussed changing the text of the bill to reflect some of the “SAFE +” language that was negotiated at the end of 2022, including the HOPE Act. It’s currently unclear if the House’s version will be identical.

Committees Finally Seated

It took Congress longer than usual to seat committees this session – particularly in the House – but we now know which members will have jurisdiction over which issue areas. Our friends at Politico put together an extensive list, but some committees I’ll be keeping my eye on include the House Judiciary Committee, the Senate Banking Committee, and the Appropriations Committees in both chambers. 

Stay up to date on the latest congressional cannabis policy by following NCIA on social media, subscribing to our newsletter, and attending one of our upcoming regional events! 

New Veterans Cannabis Research Bill – The CARE Act

Photo By CannabisCamera.com

by Michelle Rutter Friberg, NCIA’s Deputy Director of Government Relations

If you’ve been following along with federal cannabis policy closely, you know that the SAFE Banking Act has passed the House, comprehensive reform will be revealed soon, and that there have been a few other bills that have been introduced. Today, we’re going to take a look at the most recently introduced cannabis bill:

Name: H.R. 2932, the Veterans Cannabis Analysis, Research, and Effectiveness (CARE) Act 

Lead Sponsor(s): Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) 

Status: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on April 30, 202

What does it do?

This bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct research on the use of medical cannabis to treat veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In addition to allowing for research on PTSD, the bill also states that the department look into the efficacy of cannabis for chronic pain and “other conditions the Secretary determines appropriate.” The legislation also specifies that the studies must involve plants and extracts, at least three varieties of cannabis that contain various amounts of THC and CBD and include “varying methods of cannabis delivery, including topical application, combustable and non-combustable inhalation, and ingestion.” Notably, this new bill was introduced by two freshman GOP-Congresswomen with strong ties to the military community: Miller-Meeks is a veteran and Mace was the first female graduate of The Citadel.

While this bill is the most recent cannabis and veteran-related legislation to be introduced in Congress, it certainly isn’t the only (or last) one! Just a day before, a similar bipartisan, bicameral bill, known as the VA Medical Cannabis Research Act, was introduced by Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK). That bill would require the VA to perform clinical research on the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis in treating veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. It would also require the VA to provide Congress with a report dictating its research plan and provide progress updates while conducting the study.

In February, Sens. Feinstein (D-CA), Schatz (D-HI), and Grassley (R-IA) introduced the Cannabidiol and Marijuana Research Expansion Act, which would encourage valid scientific and clinical research on marihuana and its compounds, expand sources of research-grade marihuana, and promote the commercial production of FDA-approved drugs derived from CBD or other marihuana compounds. 

Congressman Steube also has his Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act, which is aimed at ensuring that military veterans aren’t penalized for using medical cannabis in compliance with state law. The legislation also stipulates that Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors are allowed to discuss the risks and benefits of marijuana with their patients.

With all of these bills, one thing is clear: additional research and knowledge on cannabis as a safe and effective medicine for our veteran community is much needed. NCIA will continue to monitor these bills and advocate for legislation that would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act entirely, ameliorating many of these issues. Catch our Government Relations team over on NCIA Connect to ask us any policy-related questions — see you there! 

 

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