U.S. House Spending Bill Directs Federal Agencies to Review State Marijuana Regulations

The House Appropriations Committee will mark up its Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) legislation on Wednesday. The proposal includes a provision calling on federal agencies to take a closer look at how states are handling legalization. The report directs the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), working with the Treasury Department and other agencies, to conduct an assessment of state-level marijuana regulatory systems. That review is to examine similarities and differences in enforcement, oversight, and compliance, and include recommendations for improving coordination and data sharing between state and federal authorities. A briefing must be delivered to the committee within a year of the bill becoming law.

The language mirrors provisions from last year’s appropriations reports, but the committee is doubling down on the need for federal evaluation. It also reflects the intent behind legislation filed earlier this year by Representative Dave Joyce (R-OH), chair of the FSGG Appropriations Subcommittee and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. Joyce’s bill would establish a federal commission tasked with recommending a nationwide regulatory framework for marijuana, laying the groundwork for eventual legalization.