Congressional members and advocates gathered Wednesday to call for comprehensive marijuana reform beyond the incremental rescheduling the Trump administration is pursuing, part of a nationwide "Cannabis Week of Unity" campaign pushing Congress toward full federal cannabis reform.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chair, said federal law has lagged far behind public sentiment. "It is about damn time Congress caught up with where the American people are," she said. She called for full descheduling, an end to the federal hemp ban, banking access for state-legal cannabis businesses, and federal protections for veterans and public housing residents who use legal marijuana. She warned that legalization without expunging nonviolent cannabis records and reinvesting in communities targeted by discriminatory drug enforcement would be a failure.
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), another Caucus co-chair, said states have consistently outpaced Washington and is sponsoring legislation to require federal drug officials to assess cannabis evidence more fairly, including against substances like alcohol.
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) attributed cannabis criminalization to the Nixon administration's targeting of people of color, young people, and the anti-war movement, and compared the DEA to the Strait of Hormuz—a critical but effectively impassable bottleneck—noting the agency resisted rescheduling under Biden.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche last month signed an order moving state-licensed medical marijuana immediately to Schedule III; recreational cannabis remains in Schedule I pending a summer hearing process. Rescheduling eases research barriers and unlocks tax benefits for licensed businesses but does not broadly legalize marijuana.
Also speaking were representatives of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, NORML, Marijuana Policy Project, Last Prisoner Project, Drug Policy Alliance, Latino Cannabis Alliance, Law Enforcement Action Partnership, and the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition.
In related congressional action, the House is expected this week to vote on an amendment to let veterans receive medical marijuana recommendations through VA doctors. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies approved a bill last month to block further rescheduling steps. The House Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill raising concerns about cannabis-derived products while encouraging psychedelics research. The full House passed a Farm Bill with hemp provisions but without language to delay the recriminalization of hemp THC products scheduled for later this year. A Congressional Research Service report details the scope and limits of the rescheduling move.
