Senator Murray Helps Introduce the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act

ICYMI: Senator Murray Joins Bipartisan Effort to Improve Safety for Legal Cannabis Businesses – MORE HERE

Senator Murray: “It is long past time the federal government catches up to Washington state when it comes to cannabis laws.”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), helped introduce the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA). The CAOA, introduced by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and co-sponsored by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), would decriminalize, regulate, and tax cannabis at the federal level and empower states to implement their own cannabis laws.

“It is long past time the federal government catches up to Washington state when it comes to cannabis laws,” said Senator Patty Murray. “This legislation is about justice, strengthening our economy, and bringing the federal government into the 21st century. Our bill will undo deeply unfair and racially unjust laws that have disproportionately harmed people of color—that’s hugely important. It will also strengthen our economy by finally recognizing the cannabis industry and modernizing federal regulations. I’m committed to working closely with small business owners, Tribes, local officials, and all stakeholders to make sure this legislation works for Washington state—where we have led the nation on common sense cannabis laws.”

“While the reforms we are pushing for are critical and long overdue—I remain fully committed to passing SAFE Banking however possible—including as a standalone bill,” continued Senator Murray. “It makes absolutely no sense that legal cannabis businesses are forced to operate entirely in cash and my bill would bring them into the formal banking system where they belong.”

The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act:

• Protects public health by establishing strong cannabis health and safety standards under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), mandating that cannabis is kept out of the hands of those under 21, ensuring cannabis producers receive permits from the Treasury Department and register with the FDA, directing that cannabis products are consistently labeled, and requiring the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Indian Health Service (IHS) to provide recommendations and opinions regarding the medical use of cannabis by VA and IHS patients. 
• Protects public safety by implementing robust anti-diversion rules, including a track-and-trace system, adopting quantitative limitations on retail purchases to combat illicit market cannabis production and distribution, establishing grants to assist small law enforcement agencies in hiring and training officers, and establishing new efforts at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and HHS to combat drugged driving and multi-substance impairment.
• Prioritizes restorative and economic justice by automatically expunging federal cannabis convictions and encouraging states to do the same, breaking down barriers to the cannabis industry and expanding access to loans and capital for entrepreneurs harmed by the failed War on Drugs, and ending discrimination in the provision of federal benefits — like federal housing or federal student loans — on the basis of cannabis use.
• Regulates and taxes cannabis by transferring federal jurisdiction over cannabis from the Drug Enforcement Agency to the FDA and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (renamed the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Tax and Trade Bureau) within the Treasury Department, and implementing a regulatory regime similar to alcohol and tobacco, while recognizing the unique nature of cannabis products. It also eliminates the tax code’s restriction on cannabis businesses claiming deductions for businesses expenses and implements an excise tax on cannabis products.
• Encourages cannabis research by requiring more federal research into the impacts of cannabis on health and public safety, establishing clinical trials through the VA to study the effects of medical cannabis on the health outcomes of veterans, and establishing grants to build up cannabis research capacity at institutions of higher education, with particular focus on minority-serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Tribal Colleges and Universities, as well as under resourced institutions and those with experience conducting cannabis research.
• Strengthens workers’ rights by removing unnecessary federal employee pre-employment and random drug testing for cannabis, while preserving appropriate drug testing for certain sensitive categories of employees where continued testing is determined necessary, including national security, law enforcement, and commercial transportation; and strengthening worker protections for those employed in the cannabis industry.

Bill text can be found HERE.

Summary of introduced CAOA can be found HERE. 

Senator Murray continues to be a leader in this space. In 2017, she helped introduce her Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act which would allow state-legal cannabis businesses to access banking services and continues to push for its passage. Last April, Senator Murray held a press conference in Tukwila to outline the path forward for the SAFE Banking Act and affirmed her commitment to getting this legislation signed into law.

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