On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) convened a group of Republican senators to discuss next steps for crafting a passable marijuana bill for the new Congress.
At the beginning of this month, the majority leader met with Democratic colleagues. Now, he has brought in Republican senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).
In these recent discussions, lawmakers are seeking to find bipartisan consensus on legislative objectives for cannabis reform in the 118th Congress, which has Republicans in control of the House while Democrats retain control of the Senate.
Senators discussed marijuana banking, according to one source.
Up until the end of the last session, Schumer worked to advance a set of marijuana proposals known colloquially as SAFE Plus. In addition to cannabis banking and expungements, other modest reforms were expected as part of that package.
During the last Congress, all three GOP senators who attended Tuesday's meeting signed on as original cosponsors of the standalone Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act.
On Thursday, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) will vote on Sullivan's bill to promote research into the therapeutic potential of cannabis for military veterans.
It was Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), along with Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who attended the last marijuana meeting with the majority leader. Due to a scheduling conflict, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a senior staffer to replace him.
Despite the fact that Schumer and Booker introduced a comprehensive legalization bill last year, it became apparent that the 60-vote threshold in the Senate would not be sufficient to pass the bill. Over SAFE Plus, the majority leader led bipartisan and bipartisan negotiations as a compromise.
A bipartisan proposal to include the reform in large-scale defense and spending legislation failed, and Schumer blamed certain Republican senators.
According to Booker, ongoing marijuana banking issues under prohibition amount to a "cannabis crisis," and though he thinks reform is possible, he stressed the challenges of the new political dynamic on Capitol Hill.
There have been many critics of Booker's evolving position on banking legislation, including those who once vowed to block any efforts to pass a standalone Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act without equity components, but eventually expressed a willingness to compromise in order to accomplish this goal.
If Democrats fail to pass cannabis legislation during the lame duck session, the senator said it could take "many years" to pass the legislation.
The White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked last month about President Joe Biden's position on marijuana banking reform, and she said Congress is in charge, with no plans for administrative action.
Despite stating that states should be able to decide their own cannabis laws without federal interference, Biden has not provided a clear policy position on marijuana banking. Since the president issued a mass cannabis possession pardon in October, his administration has also been more vocal about marijuana reform.
At the beginning of this month, the majority leader met with Democratic colleagues. Now, he has brought in Republican senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).
In these recent discussions, lawmakers are seeking to find bipartisan consensus on legislative objectives for cannabis reform in the 118th Congress, which has Republicans in control of the House while Democrats retain control of the Senate.
Senators discussed marijuana banking, according to one source.
Up until the end of the last session, Schumer worked to advance a set of marijuana proposals known colloquially as SAFE Plus. In addition to cannabis banking and expungements, other modest reforms were expected as part of that package.
During the last Congress, all three GOP senators who attended Tuesday's meeting signed on as original cosponsors of the standalone Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act.
On Thursday, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) will vote on Sullivan's bill to promote research into the therapeutic potential of cannabis for military veterans.
It was Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), along with Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who attended the last marijuana meeting with the majority leader. Due to a scheduling conflict, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a senior staffer to replace him.
Despite the fact that Schumer and Booker introduced a comprehensive legalization bill last year, it became apparent that the 60-vote threshold in the Senate would not be sufficient to pass the bill. Over SAFE Plus, the majority leader led bipartisan and bipartisan negotiations as a compromise.
A bipartisan proposal to include the reform in large-scale defense and spending legislation failed, and Schumer blamed certain Republican senators.
According to Booker, ongoing marijuana banking issues under prohibition amount to a "cannabis crisis," and though he thinks reform is possible, he stressed the challenges of the new political dynamic on Capitol Hill.
There have been many critics of Booker's evolving position on banking legislation, including those who once vowed to block any efforts to pass a standalone Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act without equity components, but eventually expressed a willingness to compromise in order to accomplish this goal.
If Democrats fail to pass cannabis legislation during the lame duck session, the senator said it could take "many years" to pass the legislation.
The White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked last month about President Joe Biden's position on marijuana banking reform, and she said Congress is in charge, with no plans for administrative action.
Despite stating that states should be able to decide their own cannabis laws without federal interference, Biden has not provided a clear policy position on marijuana banking. Since the president issued a mass cannabis possession pardon in October, his administration has also been more vocal about marijuana reform.
