It’s been about two months since the 199th Congress convened, and a bipartisan caucus of leaders on marijuana reform has yet to even hold an initial meeting, much less coordinate plans to advance cannabis legislation under the Trump administration. At the same time, a separate psychedelics caucus seems to be hitting the ground running, encouraged by a sense of momentum around the issue.
The Congressional Cannabis Caucus—which was reshaped following the recent retirement of two founding members—has historically helped set the agenda on marijuana legislation, advocating for various reform bills and keeping tabs on administrative developments.
But so far, the group has been largely inactive this year, with members focused on broader debates over issues such as a continuing resolution to keep the government funded, Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH), a co-chair of the Cannabis Caucus, told Marijuana Moment.
“Let’s face it: What are we going to put on the table at the moment?” he said, adding that “we might run our heads into the wall” if cannabis reform supporters try to take on too much.
Joyce expressed frustration with the lack of progress on bipartisan marijuana bills during the last session, pointing out that then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “had the thing for two years on his fucking desk and he didn’t do anything.” That appears to be a reference to a cannabis banking bill that moved through a Senate committee in 2023 but was never brought to the floor.
“We’ll work on something, but it’s just a matter of waiting until we’re in a position to do something,” the congressman said, adding that the timing might be more opportune after budget reconciliation is finalized and things “slow down” during regular order.
Asked about the fact that the separate Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus—headed up by Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI)—has already found time to meet this Congress, Joyce said the issues were distinct, and he’s personally avoided getting involved because it’s “hard enough” to advance marijuana reform.
Correa, who is also a member of the Cannabis Caucus, similarly drew a distinction between the policy considerations.
“If I may presuppose, I think we’ve got the momentum” with respect to psychedelics, he told Marijuana Moment. “The momentum is there.”
Bergman, meanwhile, told Marijuana Moment that the point of the psychedelics caucus is “trying to do the right thing for the right reason.”
“Good people will sit down and work things out,” he said.
To the lawmakers’ point, while talks of marijuana legalization or even more modest proposals such as banking reform have been largely muted so far this Congress, psychedelics policy has been a point of interest at the state and federal level this year. For example, veterans service organizations recently called attention to the need for alternative therapies such as psilocybin at congressional appropriations hearings.
By contrast, while there have been bill introductions on issues such as veterans’ access to medical marijuana this session, some Republican lawmakers evidently feel emboldened to advance legislation that’s hostile to the industry, including bicameral proposals to maintain a ban preventing cannabis businesses from taking federal tax deductions even if it’s ultimately rescheduled.
The LCB contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.
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Image element courtesy of Kristie Gianopulos.
The post Two Months Into New Congress, Bipartisan Marijuana Leaders Have Yet To Even Meet As Psychedelics Caucus Sees ‘Momentum’ appeared first on Marijuana Moment.
