Congressional Cannabis Caucus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Ideology | States' rights Cannabis reform |
| Seats in theHouse Democratic Caucus | 2 / 222 |
| Seats in theHouse Republican Caucus | 2 / 210 |
| Seats in theHouse | 4 / 435 |
TheCongressional Cannabis Caucus is a registeredcaucus in theUnited States Congress, formed in 2017 during the115th session. Thebipartisan caucus was founded byRepublicansDana Rohrabacher andDon Young andDemocratsEarl Blumenauer andJared Polis. The Congressional Cannabis Caucus seeks to harmonize federal laws that conflict withvarious state laws that permit medical and recreational cannabis.
Dana Rohrabacher, aRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromCalifornia, coauthored theRohrabacher–Farr amendment, which was passed by the113th United States Congress in 2014. The amendment prevented theUnited States Department of Justice from using its funding to challenge states that have approvedmedical cannabis laws.[1] Meanwhile,Earl Blumenauer, a member of House of Representatives fromOregon in theDemocratic Party, supportedOregon Ballot Measure 91 in 2014, legalizing recreational cannabis in Oregon.[2] Rohrabacher endorsed theAdult Use of Marijuana Act, which legalized recreational cannabis in California in 2016,[3] and acknowledged using medical cannabis to treat hisarthritis.[4]
In 2016, Blumenauer and Rohrabacher agreed to form acongressional caucus to streamline cannabis reform legislation at the federal level, considering it astates' rights issue.[5] In February 2017, Rohrabacher and Blumenauer launched the caucus withJared Polis, a Democrat fromColorado, andDon Young, a Republican fromAlaska.[6][7][8] The caucus intends to increase medical research into cannabis and change regulations on banking and taxation for cannabis businesses.[9]
In the116th Congress, Rohrbacher and Polis left Congress and were replaced byBarbara Lee, a Democrat fromCalifornia, andDavid Joyce, a Republican fromOhio, as co-chairs.[10][11] After Don Young died in office in 2022, he was replaced byBrian Mast of Florida.[12]
In January 2025, it was announced that Reps.Dina Titus (D-NV) andIlhan Omar (D-MN) would serve as Caucus co-chairs, replacing Reps. Blumenauer and Lee.[13]
Current members:
Past members: