The States Reform Act proposes to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act—its currently designated a Schedule I substance along with LSD and heroin— and regulate it like alcohol.
“I would categorize it as a compromise bill—it has something good for everyone, Republicans and Democrats,” Mace said during a press conference she held outside the U.S.
The bill would allow for interstate commerce, which would be a huge shift in the way companies have to operate currently under the patch work of state laws in 36 states.
Both would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, ending the federal ban, and allow states to determine their own laws, as they have the authority to do so with alcohol.
People who are members of a cartel or gang and those convicted of driving under the influence would not be released nor would their convictions be expunged.
Eric Sterling, who was the anti-drug council for the U.S.
Deaths from illegal drugs was 6,100 in 1980 and now it’s almost 100,000 annually and none of those deaths are due to cannabis,” Sterling said during the press conference.
While the majority of Republicans and Democrats support legal weed, there are major differences across party lines: 83% of Democrats and 71% of Independents support cannabis legalization, while 50% of Republicans are in favor of ending prohibition.
During an interview, Rivers says that the push and pull between Republican-backed and Democrat-backed cannabis legislation will eventually lead to the goal—ending cannabis prohibition.
“I think that Republicans are realizing that there’s a constituent demand for cannabis and is attempting to put forth something that she believes could pass,” says Rivers.
Under Mace’s vision, cannabis would be primarily regulated by the Treasury Department’s Tax and Trade Bureau would serve as the primary law enforcement agency over the industry.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau would be charged with the collection and enforcement of federal cannabis excise taxes as well as tracking and tracing of cannabis products.
In April, Koch’s political advocacy group, Americans For Prosperity, joined other organizations to form the Cannabis Freedom Alliance, whose members have already started lobbying Congress to help lift America’s federal marijuana ban.
“It’s time for the federal government to get out of the way,” Mosteller said while standing in front of the U.S.