A Republican senator says he supports creating a \u201ccomprehensive regulatory framework that treats marijuana just like tobacco,\u201d arguing that \u201cthe federal government needs to figure out a safe way to allow this market to occur.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) shared his perspective on cannabis policy issues in an interview with Green Market Report that was published on Tuesday. He was asked about a bipartisan marijuana banking bill and ongoing rescheduling efforts, but took the opportunity to share his broader views on what needs to happen with federal cannabis laws.<\/p>\n
The senator said he feels the reason the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act that cleared committee last September is \u201cnot moving\u201d further to a floor vote is because \u201cwe\u2019re not taking a look at the broader issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tillis voiced concerns about public safety issues with vaping products and the presence of illicit grow operations in states that have enacted legalization. But rather than cite those concerns as justification for prohibition, he instead argued that those problems underscore why \u201cwe need a comprehensive approach to this\u201d that involves federal regulation.<\/p>\n
\u201cBanking, to me, is one thing we should consider\u2014but not until we have a federal framework that states can choose to opt into or out of,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of bad happening in plain sight that we have to end, and then let states to choose to legalize it for better medical use or for recreational use\u201d via the legislature or ballot process.<\/p>\n
\nAsked whether he supports the Biden administration\u2019s proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Tillis said he backs \u201ca comprehensive regulatory framework that treats marijuana just like tobacco.\u201d<\/p>\n
That regulatory framework should ensure that crops are tested, illicit operators are stamped out and agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are involved in ensuring that products are safe for consumption, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get this under control,\u201d the senator said<\/a>. \u201cWe have a majority of states that either have recreational or medical marijuana. We have to understand that this is a market that is going to exist and it\u2019s going to persist, so the federal government needs to figure out a safe way to allow this market to occur.\u201d<\/p>\n The comments are notable in part because it doesn\u2019t appear that Tillis has previously advocated for such a federal regulatory framework for marijuana\/<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not as if he\u2019s been entirely silent on the issue. The senator in April joined Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) in asking federal, state and local officials what steps they were taking to enforce marijuana prohibition<\/a> as an Indian tribe prepared to launch recreational cannabis sales on its lands within North Carolina.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, back in 2017, Tillis also teamed up with bipartisan colleagues on a bill that was meant to ease researchers\u2019 access to marijuana for studies on its medical benefits<\/a> and require the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to develop recommendations for good manufacturing practices for growing and producing cannabis for research.<\/p>\n Marijuana Moment reached out to Tillis\u2019s office for more information about his position on ending federal cannabis prohibition, but representatives were not immediately available.<\/p>\n Making the senator\u2019s comments all the more significant is the fact that his state of North Carolina is among the minority that does not even have a comprehensive medical marijuana program in place. A bill to enact such a system cleared the Senate again last month<\/a>, but its prospects in the House are uncertain.<\/p>\n A poll released in February found that nearly eight in 10 North Carolinians back legalizing medical cannabis<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Green Market Report video that Tillis was feature in also included other senators discussing their views on cannabis banking legislation, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Dick Durbin (D-IL).<\/p>\n Trump Claims Harris Jailed \u2018Thousands And Thousands Of Black People\u2019 Over Marijuana, But Her Actual Record As A Prosecutor Is More Nuanced<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post GOP Senator Backs Policy That \u2018Treats Marijuana Just Like Tobacco,\u2019 Calling On Feds To \u2018Allow This Market To Occur\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A Republican senator says he supports creating a \u201ccomprehensive regulatory framework that treats marijuana just like tobacco,\u201d arguing that \u201cthe federal government needs to figure out a safe way to allow this market to occur.\u201d Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) shared his perspective on cannabis policy issues in an interview withContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77110"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77110"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77111,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77110\/revisions\/77111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: GOP Senator Backs Policy That \u2018Treats Marijuana Just Like Tobacco,\u2019 Calling On Feds To \u2018Allow This Market To Occur\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"