On May 1, 2024, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA), comprehensive legislation that would end the federal prohibition of cannabis by removing cannabis from the list of federally controlled substances, was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate.
The CAOA would establish a federal regulatory framework to protect public health and safety; end discrimination in the provision of federal benefits on the basis of cannabis use; provide major investments for cannabis research; and strengthen worker protections. By decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level, the CAOA would also ensure that state-legal cannabis businesses or those in adjacent industries would no longer be denied access to bank accounts or financial services as a consequence of their ties to cannabis.
The CAOA was reintroduced by Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer (D-NY); Finance Committee Chair, Ron Wyden (D-OR); and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). The legislation is co-sponsored by California Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, in addition to John Fetterman (D-PA); Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY); Jeff Merkley (D-OR); Patty Murray (D-WA); Edward Markey (D-MA); Michael Bennet (D-CO); Gary Peters (D-MI); Tina Smith (D-MN); John Hickenlooper (D-CO); Ben Ray Luján (D-NM); Raphael Warnock (D-GA); Elizabeth Warren (D-MA); and Peter Welch (D-VT).
A summary of the reintroduced CAOA can be found here.