Freshman Republican lawmaker introduces bill to decriminalise marijuana at the federal level

Freshman Republican Rep Nancy Mace of South Carolina has announced legislation to federally decriminalise cannabis as more voters support legalising marijuana.

Ms Mace’s bill would decriminalise cannabis on the federal level, which she said would allow for states to have the power to regulate and prohibit the drug. This would be done by taking it off the Schedule I list under the Controlled Substances Act.

Similarly, it would require that the US Department of Agriculture regulate cannabis like a crop, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to regulate it like a drug and the Food and Drug Administration regulate it for medical use. It would also place a three per cent tax on cannabis products to fund enforcement.

“When we’re looking at cannabis reform at the federal level, we have to understand, take into account all of the different provisions, reforms, regulations and laws that are already existing across different states across the bill,” she said at a news conference Monday.

Ms Mace told The Independent that she campaigned on cannabis when she flipped South Carolina’s 1st district last year.

“This bill is a good bill that brings together some of what’s been done in the past, but is palatable to Republicans and Democrats,” she said. “I feel like I’ve spent nine months crafting it and we tried to be thoughtful on what would work for Democrats and Republicans alike together.”

Ms Mace notes that 47 states have loosened their laws about cannabis.

“Every state’s different, so it recognizes the differences and provides a framework for taxation and regulation,” she said.

So far, Reps Don Young of Alaska, Brian Mast of Florida, Tom McClintock of California and Peter Meijer of Michigan were the initial cosponsors.

“We’re getting great feedback from both sides of the aisle,” she said, adding that some members expressed interest but did not say which other members came to her after the legislation was filed.

In addition, the bill would also expunge the records of people who have been convicted only for non-violent offenses only related to cannabis. The bill would also prevent veterans who use medical marijuana from being discriminated in hiring or losing their benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Ms Mace noted that the legislation includes ideas both Democrats and Republicans have proposed.

“This legislation something I believe has something good for everyone, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican,” she said.

At the same time, she said her law would incentivise states to raise the legal age for cannabis to 21.

Ms Mace’s legislation comes as more Americans support legalising cannabis. A survey from Pew Research Centre found that 60 per cent of Americans think marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use and an additional 31 per cent say it should be available for medical use only.

But support is slightly smaller among Republicans, with only 47 per cent Republicans and Republican-leaning independents saying marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use and an additional 40 per cent saying it should be legal solely for medical use. That is compared to 72 per cent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who say it should be legal for medical and recreational use.

Earlier this year, Senate Democrats unveiled legislation to legalise marijuana, spearheaded by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden and Sen Cory Booker.

At the same time, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, supports decriminalising marijuana federally but opposes legalising the drug, McClatchy reported.

Ms Mace said other pieces of legislation have little chance of passing.

“If we want to get it done in the midterms, this is a good starting point,” she said. “This has the most bipartisan potential and I believe it would get the most bipartisan support.”