As control of Congress hangs in the balance on Election Day, a House hearing on state and federal cannabis reform has just been announced.
The Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties will host a hybrid hearing on November 15 called “Developments in State Cannabis Laws and Bipartisan Cannabis Reforms at the Federal Level.”
The hearing will be held both in person and over Zoom. The chair of the committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, was a sponsor of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, a bill that would end federal cannabis prohibition.
Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican who introduced the States Reform Act last November and has become a leading GOP advocate for cannabis law reform, is the ranking member of this subcommittee. Other members include New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Cannabis Wire is still confirming the list of people and entities scheduled to testify, but so far, Eric Goepel, founder and CEO of the Veterans Cannabis Coalition, has confirmed that he will testify.
Separately, lawmakers and advocates have been eyeing the lame duck time period as a window that could open for incremental reform. Under discussion specifically is the SAFE Banking Act, modified to include some justice and equity-focused provisions.