Marijuana reform’s new leaders in the U.S. Congress are Democratic U.S. Reps. Dina Titus of Nevada and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
The women will take over as co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus from their retiring predecessors, Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer and California Rep. Barbara Lee.
Blumenauer co-founded the Congressional Cannabis Caucus in 2016, though the group did not launch until 2017.
“I look forward to continuing to support the growth of the regulated cannabis industry,” Titus said in a Thursday social media post.
Both lawmakers represent states that have approved regulated adult-use marijuana sales but will be tasked with marshaling support for reform bills in a Republican-led Congress after the reelection of House Speaker Mike Johnson, a legalization skeptic.
Johnson did not call successful reform measures such as the SAFER Banking Act for a hearing during the recent session of Congress.
Recreational marijuana sales began in Nevada on Jan. 1, 2017, while Minnesota’s adult-use sales – signed into law in May 2023 – isn’t expected until 2026.
Titus, a former political science professor and author, has represented parts of Las Vegas and Clark County in Congress since 2009.
She has repeatedly backed bills supporting expanded access to medical marijuana to military vets through the Veterans Administration as well as cannabis banking reform.
Omar, sworn into her fourth term representing Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs, is a co-sponsor of the MORE Act, which would decriminalize marijuana federally and steer proceeds from a federal cannabis tax toward social justice efforts.
It’s still unclear how much appetite Congress will have for marijuana reform measures under President-elect Donald Trump, who last fall endorsed an adult-use legalization measure in Florida that ultimately failed and has expressed support for federal rescheduling.
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