Bipartisan Efforts and Federal Rescheduling in Jeopardy

In a recent turn of events, the GOP-majority House Rules Committee has put a halt to several marijuana and psychedelic reform amendments. This includes a notable bipartisan effort aimed at shielding state-level cannabis programs from federal intrusion. The committee’s decision, made over Monday and Tuesday, effectively sidelines a range of marijuana reforms, much to the chagrin of legalization supporters.

Among the blocked amendments was a contentious proposal from the staunch anti-cannabis Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), aimed at thwarting the Biden administration’s potential moves to reschedule cannabis. The committee’s deliberations this week encompassed two significant spending bills – one for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) and another for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LaborH).

A key amendment, backed by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Dave Joyce (R-OH), was among those rejected. This measure sought to bar the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using its funds to meddle in states’ marijuana laws. Despite its past approval on the House floor and the growing public support for legalization, the amendment remains unenacted.

Rep. Blumenauer, in a discussion, expressed his disappointment, noting the recent pro-legalization sentiment in Ohio and emphasizing the need for federal government action in line with public opinion.

Nevertheless, the CJS bill still carries a narrower provision, in place since 2014, that restricts federal funding from interfering with state and territory medical cannabis programs. Also blocked were two versions of an amendment from Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), aimed at ending marijuana drug testing for federal job applicants, reflecting his ongoing efforts to align federal policies with evolving public attitudes.

Garcia, leveraging his background in cannabis policy reform as Long Beach’s former mayor, is a vocal advocate for federal legalization. Alongside Blumenauer, he also co-sponsored an amendment for psilocybin legalization, which faced rejection as well.

In another development, the committee dismissed a proposal from Rep. Sessions, an ardent opponent of marijuana legalization. His amendment sought to prevent the use of federal funds for any changes in cannabis classification under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This move could have hindered the ongoing review of marijuana scheduling initiated by President Biden. The review, conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), is considering shifting cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III.

Sessions has been actively opposing this rescheduling, as evidenced by his recent letter to the DEA, advocating for cannabis to remain in the strictest CSA category.

Lastly, the Rules Committee also rejected an amendment from Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), which aimed to block federal funding for overdose prevention centers, further underscoring the committee’s conservative stance on drug policy reform.