Nancy Mace, a first-term Republican Congresswoman from South Carolina, recently introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would decriminalise cannabis at the federal level. This legislation, which is entitled the ‘States Reform Act,’ would remove all barriers in federal law that might conflict with the autonomy of states to decide for themselves how the growth, manufacture, and distribution of cannabis products should be regulated in their states.
The Mace Bill is a response to the Democratically sponsored Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would end federal cannabis prohibition on somewhat different terms. These bills are being considered in Congress concurrently with the SAFE Banking Act, which is designed to lift many of the restrictions that make it difficult for cannabis and hemp producers to secure adequate banking and financial services.