,i  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #geac  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #ad1 #bjbb,mr4
 ,joyce of ,ohio 7for himself1 ,mr4     
,jeffries1 and ,mr4 ,mast7 introduced   
the following bill2 which was referred  
to the ,committee on ,energy and        
,commerce1 and in addition to the       
,committees on the ,judiciary1 ,ways and
 ,means1 ,agriculture1 and ,financial   
,services1 for a period to be           
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to establish a ,commission  
on the ,federal ,regulation of ,cannabis
 to study a prompt and plausible pathway
 to the ,federal regulation of cannabis1
 and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short    
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,preparing ,regulators ,effectively for 
a ,post-prohibition ,adult-use          
,regulated ,environment ,act of #bjbb or
 the ,,prepare ,act of #bjbb4  #b4      

,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,cannabis was federally legal in  
the ,united ,states until #aicg4  7#b7  
,cannabis was federally prohibited to   
codify discriminatory practices against 
minority communities4  7#c7 ,medical    
cannabis prohibition was established    
despite objection from the ,american    
,medical ,association4  7#d7 #cg ,states
 and the ,district of ,columbia have    
legalized cannabis for medical purposes4
  7#e7 #ah ,states and the ,district of 
,columbia have legalized cannabis for   
adult use4  7#f7 ,despite the ,federal  
,government collecting revenue from the 
sale of cannabis1 individuals are still 
criminally persecuted for its use4  7#g7
 ,cannabis research1 including research 
on medical uses1 product safety1 and    
impairment standards1 is severely       
hindered and made nearly impossible by  
its schedule #a classification4  7#h7   
,cannabis should remain an adult product
 aside from the physician prescribed    
treatment of minors4  7#i7 ,cannabis has

 proven medically beneficial for        
patients suffering from pain1 cancer1   
post-traumatic stress disorder1 seizure 
disorders1 and multiple sclerosis1 among
 other diseases4  7#aj7 ,since #bjjc1   
the ,united ,states ,government by way  
of the ,department of ,health and ,human
 ,services has held a patent for medical
 cannabis as an antioxidant and         
neuroprotectant4  7#aa7 ,while the      
,united ,states remains trapped in      
antiquated cannabis regulations1 other  
nations and scientific competitors1     
including the ,united ,kingdom1 ,canada1
 ,south ,korea1 ,germany1 and ,israel   
have modified their laws to allow for   
varying degrees of cannabis legality and
 medical research4  #c4 ,purpose ,the   
,president and ,congress shall prepare  
the ,federal ,government for an         
inevitable and prompt end to ,federal   
marihuana prohibition by establishing a 
commission to advise on the development 
of a regulatory framework with respect  
to marihuana regulation1 including      

accounting for the different            
characteristics of communities1         
agencies1 and industries impacted by    
,federal marihuana prohibition4 ,such   
regulatory framework shall be modeled   
after ,federal and ,state regulatory    
frameworks with respect to alcohol4  #d4
 ,commission establishment and          
membership  7a7 ,establishment ,not     
later than #cj days after the date of   
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,attorney ,general shall establish a    
commission to be known as the           
,commission on the ,federal ,regulation 
of ,cannabis 7in this ,act referred to  
as the ,commission7 to study a plausible
 and prompt pathway to cannabis         
regulation4  7b7 ,duties of ,commission 
7#a7 ,proposal of measures ,the         
,commission shall propose measures to   
alleviate and remedy the3 7,a7 ,impact  
of cannabis criminalization1            
particularly on minority1 low income1   
and veteran communities4  7,b7 ,lack of 
access to the financial service sector  

for cannabis entrepreneurs and their    
affiliated industries4  7,c7 ,lack of   
access to cannabis related research1    
including research on medical uses and  
the effects of impairment4  7,d7 ,lack  
of access to medical cannabis and       
research1 particularly with respect to  
,federal agencies4  7,e7 ,lack of       
medical cannabis training at publicly   
funded medical training centers4  7,f7  
,lack of consistent regulations for     
cannabis product safety1 use1 and       
labeling requirements4  7,g7 ,lack of   
efficient cannabis revenue reporting and
 collecting1 including efficient and    
tenable ,federal revenue frameworks4    
7,h7 ,lack of guidance for cannabis crop
 production1 sale1 intrastate1          
interstate1 and international trade4    
7,i7 ,lack of guidance regarding the    
successful coexistence of individual    
hemp and cannabis industries1 including 
prevention of cross pollination of      
cannabis and hemp products4  7,j7 ,any  
other barriers to ,federal cannabis     

legalization identified by the          
commission4  7#b7 ,public comment2      
public witness2 reports  7,a7 ,comment  
period ,not later than #fj days after   
the date of the enactment of this ,act1 
the ,commission shall solicit comment   
with respect to the regulation of       
cannabis from industry stakeholders1    
criminal justice reform advocates1      
substance use advocates1 healthcare     
experts1 ,state cannabis regulators1 and
 the ,department of ,justice of each    
,state or ,tribal government4  7,b7     
,public witness hearing  7i7 ,in general
 ,not later than #ahj days after the    
date of the enactment of this ,act1 the 
,commission shall convene a public      
witness hearing and solicit written or  
verbal testimony from3 7,i7 ,not less   
than two unique individuals or entities1
 who are not employed by the ,federal   
,government1 and represent a ,state     
legal operation that is licensed by a   
single ,state to sell1 produce1         
manufacture1 process1 cultivate1 or     

transport cannabis4  7,,ii7 ,not less   
than two unique individuals or entities1
 who are not employed by the ,federal   
,government1 and represent a ,state     
legal operation with a multi-,state     
presence that is licensed by such       
,states to sell1 produce1 manufacture1  
process1 cultivate1 or transport        
cannabis4  7,,iii7 ,an individual who   
was convicted and incarcerated by the   
,federal ,government for a non-violent  
offense with respect to cannabis4       
7,,iv7 ,an individual who was convicted 
and incarcerated by a ,state for a      
non-violent offense with respect to     
cannabis4  7ii7 ,public availability    
,written and verbal testimony under     
clause 7i7 shall be made publicly       
available in the final recommendations  
published under paragraph 7#e74  7#c7   
,initial report and recommendations ,not
 later than #abj days after the date of 
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,commission shall publish initial       
findings and recommendations pursuant to

 section #d7;b71 including an           
identification of barriers to and       
suggestions for regulating cannabis in a
 way that is similar to the regulation  
of alcohol with respect to the rights of
 ,state1 ,tribal1 and the ,federal      
government1 on the internet website of  
the ,department of ,justice4  7#d7      
,additional public comment period       
,beginning #abj days after the date of  
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,commission shall solicit additional    
public comment from stakeholders        
identified pursuant to paragraph        
7#b77;,a7 with respect to the initial   
recommendations published pursuant to   
paragraph 7#c74  7#e7 ,final            
recommendations ,not later than one year
 after the date of the enactment of this
 ,act1 the ,commission shall publish a  
report including findings and           
recommendations pursuant to section     
#d7;b71 including an identification of  
barriers to and suggestions for         
regulating cannabis in a way that is    

similar to the regulation of alcohol1 on
 the internet website of the ,department
 of ,justice4  7c7 ,membership ,the     
,commission shall be composed of the    
following members3 7#a7 ,the majority   
leader of the ,senate shall appoint one 
member who is not employed by the       
,federal ,government and was formerly   
incarcerated for a non-violent crime    
with respect to cannabis use or         
possession4  7#b7 ,the minority leader  
of the ,senate shall appoint one member 
who is not employed by the ,federal     
,government and is an expert in         
substance abuse prevention4  7#c7 ,the  
majority leader of the ,house of        
,representatives shall appoint one      
member1 who is not employed by the      
,federal ,government1 and is a medical  
cannabis patient or advocate4  7#d7 ,the
 minority leader of the ,house of       
,representatives shall appoint one      
member1 who is not employed by the      
,federal ,government1 and who is        
medically licensed with substantial     

knowledge and demonstrated research into
 cannabis use and medical treatments4   
7#e7 ,the ,attorney ,general shall      
appoint one member from the ,department 
of ,justice1 who is an expert in the    
history of cannabis criminalization and 
the impact of criminalization on various
 communities1 particularly minorities1  
medical patients1 and veterans4  7#f7   
,the ,director of the ,bureau of        
,alcohol1 ,tobacco1 ,firearms and       
,explosives4  7#g7 ,the ,director of the
 ,national ,highway ,traffic ,safety    
,administration4  7#h7 ,the ,secretary  
of ,education shall appoint one member  
from the ,department of ,education who  
is an expert in prevention of youth     
access to alcohol and tobacco4  7#i7    
,the ,director of ,occupational ,safety 
and ,health ,administration4  7#aj7 ,the
 ,secretary of ,agriculture shall       
appoint one member from the ,department 
of ,agriculture who is an expert on     
cannabis and hemp cultivation4  7#aa7   
,the ,commissioner of the ,food and     

,drug ,administration4  7#ab7 ,the      
,director of the ,alcohol and ,tobacco  
,tax and ,trade ,bureau4  7#ac7 ,the    
,commissioner of the ,internal ,revenue 
,service4  7#ad7 ,the ,united ,states   
,trade ,representative4  7#ae7 ,the     
,secretary of ,commerce shall appoint   
one member from the ,department of      
,commerce who is an expert on regulated 
goods in interstate commerce4  7#af7    
,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human   
,services shall appoint one member      
employed by the ,department of ,health  
and ,human ,services who is an expert on
 medical cannabis use and access4  7#ag7
 ,the ,director of the ,national        
,institutes of ,health4  7#ah7 ,the     
,secretary of the ,veterans ,affairs    
shall appoint one member from the       
,department of ,veterans ,affairs with  
knowledge of treatments for pain        
management and post-traumatic stress    
disorder and for providing patients with
 affordable treatment options4  7#ai7   
,the ,deputy ,secretary of the          

,interior4  7#bj7 ,the ,administrator of
 the ,small ,business ,administration   
shall appoint one member employed by the
 ,small ,business ,administration who is
 an expert in creating industry access  
for historically marginalized           
communities4  7#ba7 ,the ,director of   
the ,national ,institute of ,standards  
and ,technology4  7#bb7 ,one            
representative from a trade organization
 or other non-profit entity with members
 from multiple1 highly regulated adult  
goods and consumer package goods1       
appointed by the ,attorney ,general4    
7#bc7 ,two representatives who have     
worked to develop two successful1       
separate1 and unique ,state-level       
regulatory systems1 appointed by the    
,attorney ,general4  7d7 ,leadership    
7#a7 ,chairperson ,the ,chairperson     
shall be elected by the members of the  
,commission at the first meeting of the 
,commission4  7#b7 ,secretary ,the      
,secretary shall be elected by the      
members of the ,commission at the first 

meeting of the ,commission4  7#c7       
,vacancies ,a vacancy in the            
,chairperson or ,secretary position     
shall be filled in the manner in which  
the original appointment was made by the
 remaining members of the ,commission4  
7e7 ,membership by political party ,if  
after the ,commission is appointed there
 is a partisan imbalance of ,commission 
members1 the congressional leaders of   
the political party with fewer members  
on the ,commission shall jointly name   
additional members to create partisan   
parity on the ,commission4  7f7         
,appointments2 removals2 vacancies  7#a7
 ,timing of appointments ,each initial  
appointment to the ,commission shall be 
made no later than #cj days after the   
,commission is established4 ,if any     
appointing authorities fail to appoint a
 member to the ,commission1 their       
appointment shall be made by the        
,attorney ,general4  7#b7 ,removal ,a   
member of the ,commission may be removed
 from the ,commission at any time by the

 appointing authority should the member 
fail to meet ,commission attendance     
requirement pursuant to subsection 7g74 
7#c7 ,vacancies ,a vacancy in the       
,commission shall be filled in the      
manner in which the original appointment
 was made prior to the date of the      
,commission's next meeting4  7g7        
,meeting requirements  7#a7 ,first      
meeting ,the ,commission shall have its 
first meeting no later than #ij days    
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act4  7#b7 ,quarterly meetings ,the    
,commission shall meet quarterly4 ,in   
addition to all quarterly meetings1 the 
,commission shall meet at other times at
 the call of the ,chairperson or as     
determined by a majority of ,commission 
members4  7#c7 ,quorum2 rule for voting 
on final actions ,a majority of the     
members of the ,commission constitute a 
quorum1 and an affirmative vote of a    
majority of the members present is      
required to issue recommendations4  7#d7
 ,attendance by members ,members are    

expected to attend all ,commission      
meetings4 ,in the case of an absence1   
members are expected to report to the   
,chairperson prior to the meeting and   
allowance may be made for an absent     
member to participate remotely4 ,members
 will still be responsible for          
fulfilling prior commitments1 regardless
 of attendance status4 ,if a member is  
absent twice in a given year1 he or she 
will be reviewed by the ,chairperson and
 appointing authority and further action
 will be considered1 including removal  
and replacement on the ,commission4  7h7
 ,minutes ,minutes shall be taken at    
each meeting by the ,secretary1 or in   
that individual's absence1 the          
,chairperson shall select another       
,commission member to take minutes      
during that absence4  7i7               
,administrative requirements ,the       
,attorney ,general shall provide staff  
and administrative support to the       
,commission4 ,all entities of the       
,united ,states ,government shall       

provide information that is otherwise a 
public record at the request of the     
,commission4  7j7 ,no rulemaking        
authority ,the ,commission shall not    
have rulemaking authority4  7k7         
,prohibition of compensation  7#a7      
,federal employees ,members of the      
,commission who are full-time officers  
or employees of the ,united ,states may 
not receive additional pay1 allowances1 
or benefits by reason of their service  
on the ,commission4  7#b7 ,other members
 ,members of the ,commission who are not
 full-time officers or employees of the 
,united ,states may not receive         
additional pay1 allowances1 or benefits 
by reason of their service on the       
,commission4  7l7 ,definitions ,in this 
,act3 7#a7 ,cannabis ,the term cannabis 
has the meaning given the term          
8marihuana0 in section #ajb of the      
,controlled ,substances ,act 7#ba       
,u4,s4,c4 #hjb74  7#b7 ,state ,the term 
,state includes the ,district of        
,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto 

,rico1 and any territory or possession  
of the ,united ,states4  7#c7 ,tribal   
government ,the term ,tribal government 
means the recognized governing body of  
any ,indian or ,alaska ,native tribe1   
band1 nation1 pueblo1 village1          
community1 component band1 or component 
reservation1 individually identified    
7including parenthetically7 in the list 
published most recently as of the date  
of enactment of this paragraph pursuant 
to section #ajd of the ,federally       
,recognized ,indian ,tribe ,list ,act of
 #aiid 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #eaca74