Reps. Omar, Titus Push Bills to Advance Cannabis Research, Federal Legalization 

WASHINGTON — Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Dina Titus, D-Nev., were joined on Capitol Hill on Tuesday by more than two dozen cannabis policy reform advocates as they introduced a bill they hope will end restrictions on federal funding for research into its medical and recreational use.

The bill Omar and Titus are sponsoring is called the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act, and is their first substantive effort to move the needle on the federal legalization of the Schedule 1 substance since they became co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus in January.

Back then they vowed to be “a little bit louder” in their advocacy than their predecessors — Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Barbara Lee, D-Calif. — both of whom retired at the end of their last terms.

Not that they were knocking Blumenauer and Lee’s efforts; rather they hoped their fresh voices and fresh perspective would provide a renewed impetus to the cause.

Both women hail from states that have already enacted adult-use legalization, giving them a point of view and perspective of experience that is often missing from debates over cannabis policy in the nation’s capital.

Under current federal law, the Office of National Drug Control Policy is barred from spending money on or sponsoring any research related to the medical or recreational use of any Schedule 1 substance, including cannabis.

In addition, again by legal mandate, the director of the ONDCP must oppose any attempt to legalize any Schedule 1 substance that has not been approved for a medical use by the Food and Drug Administration.

Both women described this on Tuesday as an “outdated” prohibition that is not based on science or reality.

Their bill, they said, would eliminate the restriction and allow the ONDCP to “conduct essential public policy analyses on states’ adult-use and medicinal cannabis programs and sponsor medical research on the benefits of cannabis.”

Going forward, they said, they are committed to working with the Cannabis Caucus’ Republican co-chairs, Reps. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, and Brian Mast, R-Fla., to reach across the aisle and garner the support of more of their Republican colleagues. 

To do so, they said, they hoped to appeal to those lawmakers’ “libertarian senses” and penchant for seeing regulation carried out at the most local level, and that, in turn, would result in strong bipartisan support for their bill, ensuring its lasting impact.

“Our nation’s drug policies have been shaped by stigma,” Omar said. “The American people overwhelmingly support cannabis reform, and yet the federal government continues to tie the hands of its own experts. 

“The Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act is about bringing our laws into the 21st century, ensuring that the Office of National Drug Control Policy can do its job guided by facts, not outdated ideology. We need drug policy to follow the science and reflect the reality on the ground in states across the country,” she said.

As for Titus, she said, “Statutory restrictions on what can be studied and a mandate to oppose any attempts to reschedule substances like cannabis make no sense. 

“It’s time to update the law to reflect the current use of cannabis in the United States and its medical benefits. The federal government needs to catch up to the states,” she said.

But Tuesday’s press conference didn’t only focus on passage of the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act. In fact, that was just a piece of what was discussed.

Most of those speaking on the “triangle” outside the House side of the Capitol building spoke of the urgent need for federal cannabis decriminalization and the pardoning of those convicted of cannabis-related offenses.

“Meaningful cannabis reform is not just about changing lives. It’s about giving people a second chance and investing in those communities that have endured the worst of these unjust policies,” Omar said.

“We have a moral obligation to act,” she continued. “Right now, I am surrounded by grassroots organizers, advocates, families and survivors of the failed war on drugs, people who have never stopped fighting. 

“This movement was built from the ground up, and it will take all of us to finally deliver the justice our community deserves,” Omar said, adding, “Twenty-four states have legalized recreational cannabis, and 39 states permit its use for medical purposes, proving that another way is possible. Now it is time for the nation to join them.”

Titus said the second bill she’s trying to get over the finish line in the current Congress is the STATES 2.0 Act, a bill that she said would ensure that states — and the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and federally recognized tribal nations — have the right to determine the best approach to cannabis within their borders. 

“We can all agree that the current federal approach to cannabis policy is not working,” she said. “As President Trump has acknowledged, the existing policy has caused unnecessary harm and squandered taxpayer dollars by diverting law enforcement resources from combating violent crimes to making needless arrests and facilitating incarcerations for small possessions of state legal marijuana. 

“The STATES 2.0 Act would create a more logical approach to cannabis regulation that allows each state to put the policies in place that work best for their communities and unique needs,” Titus added.

Kristi Kem of Freedom Grow, a nonprofit that helps cannabis prisoners regain freedom, noted that right now, there are roughly 40,000 people being held in state prisons, and another 3,000 in federal prison after their being convicted on cannabis-related charges.

As she spoke, three former cannabis-incarcerated individuals — Dante West, Kyle Page and Deshaun Durham — waited to tell their individual stories. 

All spoke of their arrests as stunning events that caused them to believe their lives were effectively over, and that there were some loved one’s — like elderly relatives — they might never see again.

“Today, we call on President Trump to do what no other president has dared to do: Declare the failed war on the cannabis plant over and stop wasting government resources … and restore families and communities throughout the country,” Kem said.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue