WORKWEEK

Most Americans want legal cannabis.

I’ve said it before, y’all, and here I am to say it again: cannabis is bipartisan. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. 

According to a survey conducted in October, nearly seven in ten Americans support cannabis legalization, including Republicans, according to a study conducted in October. 

“Small segments of the population (in particular, older conservatives) are still disinclined to think marijuana use should be legal. However, younger conservatives and younger moderates are more inclined than their older counterparts to think cannabis should be legal. As such, in future decades support for legalizing marijuana can be expected to continue to grow as newer, likely more pro-marijuana, generations replace older generations in the U.S. population,” Justin Strekal, founder of the BOWL PAC, told Marijuana Moment. 

Does bipartisanship stop with Congress?

The bipartisan efforts seem to stop at our politicians, who have yet to agree on a piece of federal cannabis legislation. 

The average age of a U.S. Senator is 64 years old, so many of our lawmakers hold the same outdated viewpoints on cannabis as the older general population.  

Even older Democrats, like President Joe Biden, have voiced staunch concerns against federal cannabis legalization – though recent actions indicate he might be feeling differently now. 

However, some Republican lawmakers like Sen. Nancy Mace have been outspoken about cannabis reform. She’s even the sponsor of her own cannabis legalization bill, The States Reform Act.

House lawmakers release a joint memo

Though no meaningful cannabis legislation has passed, some lawmakers are – and have been – attempting to show bipartisan support for the issue. 

House Democrats and Republicans *just* released a joint (haaa) memo ahead of a meeting scheduled to happen today. 

The House Oversight Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee’s meeting is titled “Developments in State Cannabis Laws and Bipartisan Cannabis Reforms at the Federal Level.”

The three main points of discussion for today’s meeting

Until now, there were few words about what exactly will be discussed – beyond the basic idea of cannabis legalization in the U.S. 

It was predicted that Missouri and Maryland would likely be brought into the conversation somehow, as they just legalized recreational cannabis during the mid-term elections. 

The memo outlined the three main issues that will be covered during the meeting today: 

1. “Decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level would benefit multiple communities, including veterans, potential federal employees, people of color, and individuals arrested or convicted for non-violent cannabis offenses.”

2. “Reforms are needed in several sectors, including criminal justice through the expungement of non-violent cannabis convictions, access to financial services, regulatory policy, and taxation.”

3. “The federal government should establish protocols to regulate cannabis as it does alcohol.”