U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina introduced sweeping legislation on Monday to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level.
The bill could be seen as offering Republicans and Democrats a conservative approach to the topic. The bill proposes taxing cannabis and regulating the substance more like alcohol as advocates had compared and argued in the past. The bill which is titled the States Reform Act, would remove marijuana from the federal controlled substances code and place a 3% federal excise tax on sales. That tax revenue would then go to help pay for law enforcement retraining programs, assist the Small Business Administration and support mental health initiatives for veterans.
Mace stated in a press release “This bill supports veterans, law enforcement, farmers, businesses, those with serious illnesses, and it is good for criminal justice reform. Furthermore, a super-majority of Americans support an end to cannabis prohibition, which is why only 3 states in the country have no cannabis reform at all.”
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She noted that the States Reform Act takes special care to keep Americans and their children safe while ending federal interference with state cannabis laws. Washington needs to provide a framework which allows states to make their own decisions on cannabis moving forward. And that this bill does that.
The bill will also require that prior federal cannabis convictions would need to be expunged within one year of being passed. There are exceptions carved out on that such as people affiliated with cartels or those which have been convicted of driving under the influence would not be eligible for the relief. Mace’s office estimates that about 2,600 people will be released from federal incarceration under the provision.
Not everyone from her party and her home state of South Carolina is on board though.
Drew McKissick, the chairman of the S.C. Republican Party, made the announcement,“Our Party platform is clear: ‘We support firm enforcement of existing laws against the abuse and distribution of controlled substances, and we oppose any effort to legalize the use of controlled substances, and that includes marijuana.”
In a phone interview Monday afternoon with The State newspaper, Mace questioned whether the S.C. GOP was singling her out when other Republicans in South Carolina. She specifically brought up that state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, has introduced bills related to marijuana use in the state.
“Did the party put out a news release when state Sen. Tom Davis did his medical cannabis bill in December of 2020? I’d like to know. Or is it just me? Why am I being singled out?” Mace asked.
Mace reiterated that her legislation “provides a framework” for regulating and taxing cannabis at the federal level. It does not, she said, legalize cannabis for every state.
This is not a bill that will legalize marijuana in every state. It is a bill that will allow states to keep their existing marijuana laws in place. If a state wants to keep it illegal, this bill would allow that.
“This doesn’t change anything in South Carolina,” Mace stated. “And I think that it’s shameful to put out disinformation on a bill that’s good for America, and that the vast majority of Americans — Republican or Democrat — would support. It puts states in the driver’s seat, basically.”
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The States Reform Act proposed by Rep. Mace already carries at least four Republican co-sponsors and more are expected to join. Along with Mace, the bill is cosponsored by Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA), Don Young (R-AK), Brian Mast (R-FL) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) according to Marijuana Moment. This comes as support for legal marijuana holds at record high of 68%. This is no longer a partisan issue on Capitol Hill and is seeing majority support (50% Republicans, 83% Democrats) the change.
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