U.S. Congress: Every Cannabis Bill Under Consideration in 2026, From Nationwide Descheduling to Housing Protections
- The MORE Act, with 62 sponsors, seeks to fully remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, establish automatic expungement for certain offenses, and create a federal excise tax to fund community reinvestment and small business programs.
- The STATES 2.0 Act, supported by eight sponsors, would prohibit federal enforcement against state-compliant marijuana activities, allow interstate commerce, remove businesses from Section 280E, and establish a federal regulatory framework with low tax rates.
- The RESPECT Resolution, with 11 sponsors, encourages state and local governments to adopt equity-focused cannabis policies to expand business opportunities and economic participation for communities affected by past marijuana enforcement without changing federal law directly.
- The Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act proposes to protect tenants in federally assisted housing from eviction or denial of admission due to lawful marijuana use, addressing conflicts between federal housing policy and state marijuana laws, currently supported by four sponsors.
Below is a breakdown of every cannabis-related bill currently active during the 2025–2026 session of the United States Congress, listed in order by total number of sponsors.
The MORE Act would fully remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, ending federal prohibition altogether. It also establishes automatic expungement for certain federal marijuana offenses, creates a new federal excise tax on marijuana products and directs revenue toward community reinvestment and small business programs. The bill currently has 62 sponsors, more than any other cannabis-related proposal filed in 2025 or 2026.
Rather than loosening federal tax restrictions, this bill would explicitly preserve Section 280E, which bars marijuana businesses from claiming standard business deductions, even after cannabis is officially reschedule from Schedule I to Schedule III (under current law, Section 280E applies only to substances classified as Schedule I or II). The measure has 15 total sponsors between the House and Senate.
Introduced in December 2025, the RESPECT Resolution encourages state and local governments to adopt equity-focused cannabis policies. Rather than changing federal law directly, it promotes expanded access to business opportunities, capital and economic participation for communities disproportionately impacted by past marijuana enforcement. The resolution has 11 sponsors.
The STATES 2.0 Act would prohibit federal enforcement actions against individuals and businesses operating in compliance with state or tribal marijuana laws. It authorizes interstate commerce between legal jurisdictions, removes marijuana businesses from the reach of Section 280E and outlines a federal regulatory structure with relatively low tax rates. The bill has eight total sponsors.
The Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act of 2025 would prohibit public housing authorities and other federally assisted housing providers from denying admission to, or evicting, individuals solely for using marijuana in compliance with state law. Under current federal policy, marijuana remains prohibited in federally subsidized housing regardless of state legalization, creating conflicts for tenants in legal states. The Senate and House versions of the bill have a combined four sponsors.
This bill, which has three sponsors, would move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, a move already under way with the Trump Administration (President Trump signed a rescheduling executive order in December, with a final rule expected to be published by the DEA immanently).
This legislation would repeal the requirement that the Office of National Drug Control Policy oppose marijuana legalization as a matter of law. By removing that mandate, the bill would allow federal drug policy positions to be guided by scientific research and public health data rather than statutory prohibition language. The bill has two sponsors.
This measure would bar the Department of Veterans Affairs from denying benefits solely based on a veteran’s participation in a state-legal medical marijuana program. It also directs VA providers to discuss marijuana use with patients and include it in treatment planning. The bill has two sponsors.
The Veterans Equal Access Act would allow VA doctors to discuss medical marijuana with patients and complete state-required certification forms where medical marijuana is legal. The bill also has two sponsors.
The PREPARE Act directs federal agencies to begin planning for a potential post-prohibition marijuana framework. It calls for analysis of regulatory models, tax structures and public health considerations that would arise if marijuana were descheduled, without directly changing marijuana’s legal status. The bill currently has one sponsor.
The HEMP Act would revise the federal definition of legal hemp by adjusting THC thresholds and updating testing standards that currently result in frequent crop failures. It also proposes national labeling and product consistency rules aimed at stabilizing the hemp supply chain. The bill has one sponsor.
Note: This list only includes standalone bills and not cannabis-related amendments added to otherwise unrelated legislation.