Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that decriminalizes marijuana and removes it from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act.

Highlights:

• Classifies marijuana as no longer being on the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and rescinds criminal penalties for an individual who manufacturers, distributes, or possesses marijuana (Sec. 3).

• Amends statutory references by replacing marijuana and marihuana with the term cannabis (Sec. 3).

• Requires the Bureau of Labor Statistics regularly public demographic data on cannabis business owners and employees (Sec. 4).

• Establishes a trust fund to support various programs and services for individuals and businesses in communities impacted by the war on drugs (Part PP, Sec. 3056).

• Establishes an excise tax on cannabis products produced in or imported into the United States and an occupational tax on cannabis production facilities and export warehouses (Subchapter B, Sec. 5911).

• Increases access to Small Business Administration loans and services available to entities that are cannabis-related legitimate business or service providers (Part PP, Sec. 7).

• Prohibits the denial of federal public benefits to an individual on the basis of certain cannabis-related conduct or convictions (Part PP, Sec. 3058).

• Prohibits the denial of benefits and protections under immigration laws on the basis of a cannabis-related event (Part PP, Sec. 9).

• Establishes a process to expunge convictions and conduct sentencing review hearings related to federal cannabis offenses (Part PP, Sec. 10).

• Authorizes the Government and Accountability Office to study the societal impact of state legalization of recreational cannabis (Part PP, Sec. 15).

• Authorizes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to study methods for determining whether a driver is impaired by marijuana (Part PP, Sec. 15).

• Authorizes the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to study the impact of state legalization of recreational cannabis on the workplace (Part PP, Sec. 15).

• Authorizes the Department of Education to study the impact of state legalization of recreational cannabis on schools and school-aged children (Part PP, Sec. 15).

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text