Fetterman joins Senate Dems in pushing for legal marijuana across US

Recreational marijuana is on Congress members' minds again, with more than a dozen Senate Democrats reintroducing legislation from four years ago in an effort to federally legalize it.

Initially introduced in 2022 by Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act was reintroduced on July 16 with 16 Democratic cosponsors, including Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania.

If passed, the bill would decriminalize cannabis, remove it from scheduling under the Controlled Substances Act and expunge certain federal cannabis offenses. It would also create a federal regulatory framework for the commercial sale of cannabis.

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Sen. John Fetterman urges Congress to legalize marijuana

In a July 21 release from his office, Fetterman said he supported both President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden on moves reclassifying cannabis and pardoning people with past offenses.

"I’ve always been very pro-weed," he said. "In a very libertarian slant: I’m not going to judge anyone for using it to knock the edge off of life. I think your path to wellness should be without judgement or punishment — legal, safe and regulated. I supported President Biden and President Trump when they took steps on the issue."

He added that it's "time for Congress to stop (expletive) around and make weed legal."

What would Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act do?

The bill addresses numerous points related to marijuana use, its regulation and its taxation.

While the 2026 version was not yet available on Congress' website as of July 22, Fetterman's office highlighted that, if passed, the bill would:

• Establish a Center for Cannabis Products to regulate marijuana production, labeling, sales and more.
• Instruct the Food and Drug Administration on standards for labeling cannabis products.
• Create programs and funding to prevent youth cannabis use while increasing funding to treat substance use disorders.
• Remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and make it federally legal.
• Require the Department of Transportation to create standards for driving while impaired by cannabis.
• Regulate and tax cannabis by establishing market competition rules to protect independent producers and sellers and stop anti-competitive behavior
• Encourage research.

Is John Fetterman pro-weed?

Fetterman emphasized his positive stance on the legalization of marijuana, pointing to his record on the issue since his time as lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.

In that role, he held a statewide listening tour focused on the legalization of recreational cannabis in 2019, then pushed for then-President Joe Biden to decriminalize marijuana.

In 2024, Fetterman joined Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, in urging the Biden Administration to deschedule marijuana.

His office emphasized that he has repeatedly made statements about the topic and questioned others on their stances in political settings and to media outlets since 2023.

Is marijuana use legal in Pennsylvania?

Recreational marijuana isn't legal in Pennsylvania, but using cannabis for medical purposes was legalized throughout the state in 2016. Effective 2024, qualified independent medical marijuana organizations can apply for a grower/processor permit or a dispensary permit.

Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at [email protected]. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fetterman joins Senate Dems in pushing for legal marijuana across US