WASHINGTON – Oregon lawmakers have taken the lead on removing marijuana from the list of federally banned drugs—a barrier many see as marijuana’s biggest hurdle in the product becoming legal nationwide.
Last month, Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, both Oregon Democrats, introduced legislation in their respective chambers that would take marijuana off the list of federally banned drugs, tax marijuana at a rate similar to alcohol and tobacco and end the threat of federal criminal penalties for businesses operating in states that allow the use of pot for recreational purposes, according to The Hill.
Banking would become easier for marijuana businesses under the legislation as well, with the proposals allowing companies access to the regulated-banking system. Many banks currently refrain from opening accounts for marijuana businesses because the federal government could seize the money.
Anti-legalization advocates said the current balance between federal and state laws is unsustainable, and that marijuana use remains a danger to public health.
Despite the opposition, the proposals aren’t the only ones in Washington that support legalizing marijuana use in the United States. Here are a few more …
The Small Business Tax Equity Act of 2017, introduced in the House by Reps. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., and Blumenauer and in the Senate by Sens. Wyden, Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., would allow state-legal cannabis businesses to take normal business deductions like any other legal business. Currently, the law prohibits cannabis businesses from deducting expenses related to sales.
The Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, introduced in the House by Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., would regulate marijuana like alcohol by inserting marijuana into the section of the U.S. Code that regulates “intoxicating liquors.” It would give oversight authority to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and would establish a permitting system to cover the cost of that oversight.
The Responsibly Addressing the Marijuana Policy Gap (RAMP) Act, introduced by Wyden and Blumenauer in their respective chambers, covers a broad range of issues at the federal level, including banking and tax fairness for businesses, civil forfeiture, and drug testing for federal employees. The two Oregon lawmakers see the provisions in this bill, collectively, along with their other bills, as the “Path to Marijuana Reform.”
The Marijuana Tax Revenue Act, introduced in the House by Blumenauer, would establish a federal excise tax on cannabis, starting at 10% and rising to 25% in the fifth year after passage. In the Senate, the Marijuana Revenue and Regulation Act, introduced by Wyden, contains the provisions included in the Marijuana Tax Revenue Act and the Regulating Marijuana Like Alcohol Act.
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