GOP Senator Says Congress Must ‘Step Up’ And Regulate Marijuana, While Exploring Its ‘Efficacy’ For PTSD And Pain

A GOP senator says the federal government needs to “step up” and explore a regulatory framework for marijuana—and that should include a pathway to explore the “efficacy” of cannabis for certain health conditions.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) made the comments during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, where President Donald Trump’s judicial appointees and nominee for director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) testified ahead of possible confirmation votes.

Tillis said that Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) made points about cannabis policy in the hearing that “are very well-taken,” adding that “Congress is not doing its job by recognizing that that bell has been rung.”

As more states enact legalization, certain public health concerns related to THC potency are going to worsen “unless we get serious about regulatory regimens,” the Republican senator argued.

Listen to the senator’s remarks on marijuana regulations starting at 2:44:10 into the video below:

“Congress needs to step up and try to figure out how we can manage this [and] exploit its efficacy in areas that are helpful—particularly for the treatment of persons with PTSD” and pain, Tillis said. “But we’ve got to step up.”

“In my remaining time here, hopefully we can get something done,” Tillis, who is not running for reelection, said.

Earlier in the hearing, Trump’s pick for White House drug czar, Sara Carter (who also uses the name Sara Bailey), addressed questions from Booker and said the administration is keeping “all options” on the table as it continues to consider a pending marijuana rescheduling proposal, while describing cannabis reform as a “bipartisan issue.”

Booker noted that Carter discussed her support for medical marijuana access in 2023, adding that Congress has had “bipartisan hearings here with military personnel talking about the transformative impact it’s had” in treating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

While the senator supports ending federal cannabis prohibition altogether, he said the rescheduling proposal that was initiated under former President Joe Biden and which Trump said last month he’d be making a final decision on imminently would be a “step in the right direction.”

Tillis didn’t specifically weigh in on the proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). But he did echo earlier points he’s made about the need to evaluate a regulatory framework for marijuana at the federal level.

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At a separate Judiciary Committee hearing in June, Tillis said opponents of marijuana legalization “have lost” the fight to maintain prohibition and that “it’s time” for lawmakers to address that reality by creating a regulatory framework treating cannabis “in the same way that we do with alcohol and tobacco,” so that states can set their own policies without federal intervention.

Back in February, the senator also raised the issue during a Senate Banking Committee hearing, saying “we should reexamine [federal marijuana laws].” But at the same time, “we damn sure shouldn’t do it by passing” legislation that would simply prevent federal regulators from penalizing banks that work with state-legal cannabis businesses.

“If somebody wants to work on rules of the road and do that—and bank the industry in a cohesive, sustainable way that doesn’t kind of skirt around the fact that it’s still illegal at the federal level—count me in. Happy to do it,” Tillis said.

Tillis also said last December that he’s hopeful Congress will have a “discussion” about potentially creating a federal regulatory framework for marijuana in 2025, though he added that he personally wouldn’t vote to federally legalize cannabis.

Last year, the senator also said he supports creating a “comprehensive regulatory framework that treats marijuana just like tobacco,” arguing that “the federal government needs to figure out a safe way to allow this market to occur.”

Tillis in April joined Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) in asking federal, state and local officials what steps they were taking to enforce marijuana prohibition as an Indian tribe prepared to launch recreational cannabis sales on its lands within North Carolina.

Meanwhile, back in 2017, Tillis also teamed up with bipartisan colleagues on a bill that was meant to ease researchers’ access to marijuana for studies on its medical benefits and require the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to develop recommendations for good manufacturing practices for growing and producing cannabis for research.