Congresswoman Nancy Mace Advocates for Federal Legalization of Marijuana
Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) is advocating for the federal legalization of marijuana with her proposed bill, the States Reform Act. She anticipates that the administration under President Joe Biden might unveil their plans to reschedule marijuana closer to the upcoming voting season to capture the cannabis votes. However, in her recent discussion with The Dales Report, Mace voiced concerns about the Republican party’s hesitation to support marijuana reforms.
Mace highlighted that progress needs to be made, and to do so, Republicans need to come aboard. In spite of palpable apprehension amongst her party members, she underlined that a considerable percentage of Republicans nationwide support pro-cannabis policies. Mace opines that the reluctance to endorse these reforms is likely due to a fear of primary challenges.
Mace underscored the crucial role of states in managing cannabis policies as per their specific circumstances, acknowledging the varied levels of success and difficulties faced by different states in their marijuana reform implementation.
Understanding Cannabis Reform is Vital for Legislators, Asserts Mace
The South Carolina Representative noted an overall lack of understanding among her peers in the Congress about the complexities of marijuana policy. Mace urged cannabis advocates and stakeholders to step up and aid legislators with evidence showcasing how supporting policy reform is in tune with popular political trends.
Mace expressed optimism that the Biden administration would execute the necessary regulatory modifications to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III in the Controlled Substance Act (CSA). The proposed changes were initially presented by the Justice Department in March. Yet, she recognizes that the odds of her States Reform Act progressing in the Republican-majority House are currently quite low given other immediate legislative priorities.
Notwithstanding the odds, Mace is resolute about utilizing the rest of the year to enlighten fellow legislators about the States Reform Act, insisting on displaying increased support through cosponsoring the act.
Should her concerns about rescheduling come to pass, Mace expects her bill to face revisions before it is reintroduced next year. She ended with a note of advice for her party – for Republicans to hold onto the House, they need to pass a marijuana banking bill as it enjoys the required support for approval. The twin themes of maneuvering marijuana legalization politically and possible influence of cannabis policy on election results, indicated by the keywords “marijuana reform” and “cannabis votes”, are dominant in this context.