Schumer Meets With GOP Senators To Discuss Marijuana Legislation For New Congress

February 14, 2023 · marijuanamoment.net

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) held a second meeting on marijuana legislation for the new Congress on Tuesday—and this time, he convened a group of GOP senators to discuss next steps for crafting a passable bill, Senate sources tell Marijuana Moment.

The first meeting took place at the beginning of the month with Democratic colleagues. Now the majority leader has brought Republican members into the fold, including Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).

The purpose of these latest conversations is to determine where lawmakers can find bipartisan consensus on legislative objectives for cannabis reform in the 118th Congress, which now has Republicans in control of the House while Democrats retain their Senate majority.

One source confirmed to Marijuana Moment that marijuana banking was a key issue that the senators discussed.

Advocates are hoping to see collaboration around a set of marijuana proposals known colloquially as SAFE Plus, which Schumer worked to advance up until the final days of the last session. That package was expected to cover cannabis banking and expungements, among other possible modest reforms.

All three of the GOP senators who participated in Tuesday’s meeting signed on as original cosponsors of the standalone Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act last Congress.

Sullivan, meanwhile, filed a bill last week with Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) to promote research into the therapeutic potential of cannabis for military veterans. That legislation is set to be voted on in committee on Thursday.

The last marijuana meeting with the majority leader involved Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), along with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) had a scheduling conflict, so he sent a senior staffer.

Schumer and Booker filed a comprehensive marijuana legalization bill last year, but it became quickly apparent that there wouldn’t be enough support for passage with the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. As a compromise, the majority leader led bipartisan and bicameral negotiations over the SAFE Plus deal.

Attempts to place the reform in large-scale defense and spending legislation proved fruitless, and Schumer placed blame on certain GOP senators for derailing the bipartisan proposals.

Booker said in a recent interview that ongoing marijuana banking issues under prohibition amount to a “cannabis crisis,” and while he thinks there’s still a shot to enact reform, he’s emphasized the challenges of the new political dynamic on Capitol Hill.

Booker has faced particular criticism from certain stakeholders over how his position on banking legislation has evolved, with the senator at one point vowing to block any efforts to advance a standalone Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act without equity components but eventually expressing interest in compromise to get something done.

The senator said in an earlier interview following last year’s election that he believed it could take “many years from now” to pass cannabis legislation if Democrats didn’t get the job done during the lame duck session.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked last month where President Joe Biden stands on marijuana banking reform, and she indicated that the ball is in Congress’s court, with no current plans for administrative action to resolve the issue.

Biden hasn’t provided a clear policy position on marijuana banking, though he’s said that states should be able to decide their own cannabis laws without federal interference. His administration has also become more vocal marijuana reform since the president issued a mass cannabis possession pardon in October. (Full Story)

In category:Politics
Next Post

Church of Cannabis claims religious rights in city dispute to remove sculpture

DENVER (KDVR) — The City of Denver and the International Church of Cannabis are in a heated dispute over a sculpture in front of the church. The city claims the sculpture is unsafe and hazardous to drivers and has ordered…
Read
Previous Post

New Hampshire Lawmakers Refine Marijuana Legalization Plan, With Vote Expected Soon

New Hampshire lawmakers working on marijuana legalization legislation met on Tuesday to refine their plan to advance the reform this session, with members of a committee hashing out differences between competing proposals. The intent is to nail down a merged…
Read
Random Post

Congressional Lawmakers Optimistic About Bipartisan Cannabis Banking Bill

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has reintroduced legislation to give legal cannabis companies improved access to banking services routinely used by other businesses across the nation. The bill, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act of 2023, was…
Read
Random Post

Data Confirms 4/20 is THE High Holiday

Sales on 4/20 were roughly twice the sales of a typical Thursday. Now that 4/20 is officially in the rearview mirror, the bean counters say that this year’s holiday did not disappoint. Consumers clearly don’t care whether cannabis companies are…
Read
Random Post

Vermont Cannabis Regulators Investigating Curaleaf’s Ties to Russian Oligarch

Regulators in Vermont are investigating links between Roman Abramovich, a Russian oligarch, and cannabis MSO Curaleaf. Cannabis regulators in Vermont are investigating the links between Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and multi-state cannabis operator Curaleaf, VT Digger reports. The inquiry follows a report by Vice that…
Read
Random Post

Nevada eases marijuana consumption lounge rules, issues first licenses

Nevada regulators this week approved loosening air-ventilation standards for marijuana consumption lounges in Las Vegas and other parts of the state while granting the first three conditional licenses for such venues. The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board’s (CCB) actions provide more…
Read