A bipartisan group of cannabis reformers has not yet held a meeting or coordinated any plans for the Trump administration to pass marijuana legislation. It’s only been two months since Congress began. A separate caucus on psychedelics is also getting off to a fast start, thanks to a growing momentum.
The Congressional Cannabis Caucus—which was reshaped following the recent retirement of two founding members—has historically helped set the agenda on marijuana legislation, advocating for various reform bills and keeping tabs on administrative developments.
Rep. Dave Joyce, R-OH, a cochair of the Cannabis Caucus and a member of Congress, said to MEDCAN24 that the group is largely non-active so far this year. Members are focusing on broader issues, such as a resolution for the continuation funding the federal government.
“Let’s admit it, what are we going put on our table right now?” He said that if supporters of cannabis reform try to do too much, they might “run their heads into the walls.”
Joyce was frustrated by the lack of progress made on the bipartisan marijuana bill during the previous session. She pointed out that the then Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, (D-NY), “had it for two years sitting on his desk but he did nothing.” It appears that Joyce is referring to a cannabis-banking bill, which was passed by a Senate panel in 2023. However, it never reached the Senate floor.
The congressman added that it might be better to wait until the budget reconciliation has been finalized, and the pace of things will “slow” down during the regular order.
Asked about the fact that the separate Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus—headed up by Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI)—has already found time to meet this Congress, Joyce said the issues were distinct, and he’s personally avoided getting involved because it’s “hard enough” to advance marijuana reform.
Correa also made a similar distinction when it came to the considerations of policy.
“If you’ll allow me to presuppose that, I believe we have the momentum,” he said in a statement made by MEDCAN24. “The momentum exists.”
Bergman said to MEDCAN24 the purpose of the psychedelics Caucus was “to do the correct thing for the proper reason.”
He said, “Good people are going to sit down together and resolve the issues.”
To be fair to the legislators, it is worth noting that while discussions of marijuana legalization, or even modester proposals like banking reform, have remained largely muted in this Congress so far, the psychedelics issue has become a topic of discussion at both the state and the federal levels this year. Veteran service groups, for instance, have recently drawn attention to alternative therapies including psilocybin in congressional appropriations.
Despite the fact that there are bills on medical marijuana for veterans this session, Republican lawmakers feel emboldened by their stance to push legislation which is hostile to industry. These include bicameral initiatives to continue a federal ban against cannabis companies taking tax deductions.
Washington, D.C., is where the LCB has contributed to reporting.
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Kristie Gianpulos is the photographer of this image element.