Politicians Tout Marijuana Policy Progress On 4/20 Amid Heightened Expectations About Federal Reform

Public officials across the U.S. are adding their voices to the chorus of marijuana reform supporters celebrating the cannabis holiday 4/20 on Saturday. That includes members of Congress, state legislators and even the president and vice president.

As mainstream brands and advocacy groups promote various campaigns that seek to leverage the popularity of the expanding reform movement, elected officials are touting their work to advance legalization and other policy changes around cannabis.

Saturday might be a time of celebration within the cannabis community, but politicians have increasingly used it as a platform to advocate for more reform as the issue gains more bipartisan support.

Officials at various levels of government are again playing into the culture and using 4/20 to talk about marijuana policy—underscoring how the legalization movement has helped shift cannabis from a controversial taboo to an accepted societal norm.

This year’s holiday also comes amid heightened expectations about federal marijuana reform, as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) works to complete a review into cannabis scheduling under President Joe Biden’s 2022 directive.

DEA is considered a recommendation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which wouldn’t federally legalize marijuana, but industry stakeholders are eagerly anticipating the potential incremental reform nonetheless.

Advocates and congressional lawmakers have amplified their push for reform in the days leading up to 4/20, with calls to advance comprehensive legalization, as well as modest proposals to free up banks to work with state-legal marijuana businesses, for example.

For what it’s worth, Congressional Cannabis Caucus founding co-chair Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) predicts that this Saturday will be the “last 4/20 celebration that cannabis will be on Schedule I.”

Here’s what politicians are saying on 4/20 this year:

Members of Congress and national politicians

Sending people to prison just for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit.

It’s time that we right these wrongs. pic.twitter.com/0avI1FmWf9

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 20, 2024

Nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.

We must continue to change our nation’s approach to marijuana while reforming the justice system so it finally lives up to its name. pic.twitter.com/AJFmexf8a3

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) April 20, 2024

Happy 420 pic.twitter.com/v5QDGa1s21

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) April 20, 2024

Legalizing marijuana won’t just get people out of jail and back to work — it can actually help solve America’s drug addiction problem.#Happy420#rfkjr#KennedyShanahan2024pic.twitter.com/JJfondiNEB

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) April 20, 2024

I was so proud to meet with the Marijuana Justice Coalition as we work to reintroduce the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act in the Senate!

We will not stop working together to end the federal prohibition on cannabis and reverse the harms of the War on Drugs. pic.twitter.com/2pQI0iJcVt

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 20, 2024

The failed War on Drugs continues to be a war on people. We need to pass comprehensive cannabis reform that includes restorative justice.

— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) April 20, 2024

Happy 4/20.

We need to legalize marijuana at the federal level.

— Sherrod Brown (@SherrodBrown) April 20, 2024

It’s not justice to lock up kids caught with an ounce of pot, while hedge fund managers make millions off of the legal sale of marijuana. It’s time for the federal government to legalize cannabis and tackle the legacy of unjust marijuana policy.

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 20, 2024

Happy 4/20! Colorado made history and lit up the legal cannabis industry. We set the gold standard, and proved it could be done safely.    I have high hopes for federal legalization, and we won’t stop working until we get there.

— Senator John Hickenlooper (@SenatorHick) April 20, 2024

This 4/20, I’m celebrating the demise of Minnesota Republicans’ shell party, Legal Marijuana Now.

Thanks for nothing — and shoutout to the @MinnesotaDFL for legalization and expungement!

— Tina Smith (@TinaSmithMN) April 20, 2024

Currently, small cannabis biz's are forced to operate w/cash only, making them a serious public safety risk. We need to pass banking reforms like the #SAFEbankingAct, which has passed the House w/bipartisan support multiple times, to help legal cannabis biz's by getting them… pic.twitter.com/26XvZct7q8

— U.S. House Committee on Financial Services (@FSCDems) April 20, 2024

The best way to celebrate 4/20?

Legalizing #cannabis, expunging the records of those imprisoned for using or possessing marijuana, & investing in communities ravaged by the War on Drugs. pic.twitter.com/uz23cNugbP

— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) April 21, 2024

4/20 is a great day to remember @DEAHQ is FINALLY reviewing softening federal #marijuana regs—but not without years of work from yours truly!#Cannabis shouldn't be Schedule 1. More like Schedule 420. I've worked for years to #LegalizeIt federally & won't stop until it's done. pic.twitter.com/TuDiMXW2nV

— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) April 20, 2024

I'm one of the top advocates for #marijuana legalization in Congress. But on #420day let's remember: as some profit from legalization, thousands of Black men, women & families in my district still suffer from the failed "war on drugs". Legalization should come with justice.

— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) April 20, 2024

It's no secret that public support for responsible cannabis reform has reached an all-time high. If members of Congress relied on their constituents rather than their personal opinion, they'd see the war over a plant isn't what people want. #StatesReformAct #420 pic.twitter.com/wtDR4rKEko

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) April 20, 2024

As a reminder: Our bill, the States Reform Act, a common-sense initiative puts states in the driver's seat when it comes to cannabis reform, it protects our kids and military veterans. It now sits in a drawer somewhere in the Capitol. #420https://t.co/zd7ym1eFdspic.twitter.com/hbok53Gxji

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) April 20, 2024

Cannabis justice is racial justice, economic justice, & restorative justice – and the time to act is NOW.

On this 4/20, we need to legalize marijuana, expunge records, & end the War on Drugs that has ravaged Black & brown communities. pic.twitter.com/e2sUCAKERe

— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) April 20, 2024

When it comes to cannabis justice and the War on Drugs, clemency must be part of the solution.@POTUS must use his clemency authority to end mass incarceration and set our communities on a pathway to healing. pic.twitter.com/mH9FPvLViu

— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) April 20, 2024

This #420day, remember, 🍃No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. 🍃The cannabis industry is good for our economy & should be equitable

I’m working to bring opportunities to the cannabis industry while helping those harmed by marijuana criminalization…

— Congressman Troy A. Carter (@RepTroyCarter) April 20, 2024

Happy 4/20 to all who celebrate. Today would be a great day for the Biden administration to fully deschedule & legalize marijuana, expunge records, and repair the harms of the failed war on drugs.

— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) April 20, 2024

Happy 4/20! 🌿 Today would be a great day to legalize marijuana, expunge all criminal records for marijuana offenses, & end the racist War on Drugs.

— Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) April 20, 2024

Good morning! Today would be a GREAT day to decriminalize and legalize marijuana and invest in the communities of color that have been disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs.

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) April 20, 2024

Legalize cannabis nationwide and expunge records for cannabis-related offenses.

Let’s get it done.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 20, 2024

It’s high time we legalize cannabis in the United States.

— Rep. Mark Pocan (@RepMarkPocan) April 20, 2024

Let’s be blunt: Sen. Romney’s letter questioning the rescheduling of marijuana doesn’t have a nugget of merit.

It hinges on an outdated court case and its logic implies Tylenol should be regulated under Schedule I.

It’s time for the DEA to deschedule marijuana.

— Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (@RepKamlagerDove) April 20, 2024

It's 4/20, and we are fighting back against the failed war on drugs. pic.twitter.com/B234x6krYF

— Val Hoyle (@RepValHoyle) April 20, 2024

State and local elected officials and political parties

New York is building the nation's most equitable cannabis industry — one that empowers veterans, women, Black & Brown New Yorkers, & those hurt by the war on drugs.   If you’re choosing to celebrate today, visit one of New York's 100+ legal dispensaries: https://t.co/nLcImliKampic.twitter.com/rZ9aFfbJTn

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 20, 2024

Rest assured on this 4/20, amidst recent federal seizures of cannabis from licensed distributors in New Mexico, that my administration is working on a strategy to protect New Mexico’s thriving cannabis industry.#cannabis#economyhttps://t.co/Im9HwCNJLy

— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) April 20, 2024

To be blunt: we’re proud to have sparked a new industry when we legalized adult-use cannabis.

— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) April 20, 2024

Happy canni-versary, New Jersey!

Tomorrow marks two years since the start of adult-use marijuana sales in New Jersey. Over the past year, we have proudly grown from just over 30 dispensaries to 130 dispensaries statewide. pic.twitter.com/9ernW5RfgU

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 20, 2024

Happy 420, @SenWarrenLimmer. No one rolls like you do. pic.twitter.com/9dJEje08Vl

— Minnesota DFL Party (@MinnesotaDFL) April 20, 2024

Time to end cannabis prohibition! Free the 🌱. Happy 4/20 https://t.co/ymiCstsfyO

— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) April 20, 2024

Happy 420 day to all those who are celebrating! pic.twitter.com/wTHFOFF1MC

— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) April 20, 2024

International politicians

Heute wünsche ich vor allem viel Freude beim Feiern des ersten legalen #420day! Ab morgen geht der Einsatz weiter für eine rasche Anpassung des THC-Grenzwertes für den Straßenverkehr und die Abgabe von #Cannabis in lizenzierten Fachgeschäften. pic.twitter.com/JUZJaUV10R

— Kirsten Kappert-Gonther (@KirstenKappert) April 20, 2024

Happy 4/20. Das ist der Anfang vom Ende der Stigmatisierung. #CanG

— Carmen Wegge (@CarmenWegge) April 19, 2024

Ahead Of 4/20 White House Says Biden Has Been ‘Very Clear’ In Supporting Marijuana Decriminalization, But Admin Is Awaiting DOJ Rescheduling Action

Top Wisconsin Senate Democrat Circulates Petition Calling For Marijuana Legalization Hearing In GOP-Controlled Legislature

Wisconsin’s top Senate Democrat is asking the public to put pressure on the state’s GOP-controlled legislature to hold a hearing on a bill to legalize marijuana that she’s sponsoring.

Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) has been pushing the Republican majority to act on cannabis reform for years, and now she’s circulating an online petition to show support for a public hearing for lawmakers to finally take up the issue.

“We know that cannabis legalization is a popular policy in Wisconsin, yet Republican Legislators in the Capitol refuse to even schedule a public hearing for my bill to #LegalizeIt,” the petition says. “Legislative Republicans cannot continue to ignore the will of the people and need to hear the voices of Wisconsinites!”

My #GrassRoutesTour has always been about listening to the people of Wisconsin! You can sign the petition for a public hearing here: https://t.co/XeeEq9OKOb#MarijuanaMonday

Video Credit: @PBSWIpic.twitter.com/TAcGab06ke

— Senator Melissa Agard 🌻 (@SenatorAgard) November 20, 2023

The petition also directs to a constituent services page with materials on Agard’s legalization bill, her informational illustrated “zine” on marijuana reform and other resources for people to get familiarized with the proposal, which she unveiled at a hemp farm in September.

“Please feel free to share this petition widely and be part of the conversation about this important issue,” Agard said. “Legalizing cannabis will open up new frontiers of economic opportunities, while bringing equity to our discriminatory criminal justice system. We must be willing to put aside partisan politics and prioritize the development of family-supporting jobs through the cannabis industry.”

“Our farmers are ready. Communities that have been harmed by over-enforced drug policies are ready. Our Main Streets are ready,” the petition says. “Wisconsin is ready to grow our future. We can do this folks – let’s legalize cannabis!”

People are invited to add their name and contact information for the petition, as well as their commentary on why legalization is personally important to them.

Here are the key provisions of Agard’s marijuana legalization bill: 

• Adults 21 and older could possess up to five ounces of cannabis for personal use, and they could grow up to 12 plants.

• The bill would impose a 15 percent excise tax on marijuana producers for the wholesale transfer of cannabis, and a 10 percent tax on retailers and lounges for the sale of marijuana. Medical cannabis patients would not be subject to a tax. And 60 percent of tax revenue the state generates would be earmarked for a community reinvestment grant fund.

• Grants would support efforts to support industry participation by women and minorities, healthcare equity and law enforcement training to combat impaired driving.

• The state Department of Revenue (DOR) would be responsible for licensing cannabis businesses. Producers and processors would need additional permitting from the Department of Agriculture. Businesses with 20 or more employees couldn’t be licensed unless they have a labor peace agreement.

• Because Wisconsin doesn’t have a medical cannabis program, the bill dually legalizes for adult and medical use. DOR would need to create a medical marijuana registry for qualifying patients, defined as those with a “debilitating medical condition” such as cancer or AIDS.

• The state Department of Justice would be tasked with reviewing records to identify cases where a person was convicted of an offense the bill legalizes. If the offense was non-violent, the department would need to initiate a process to clear the person’s record.

• With certain exemptions, employers would generally be prohibited from discriminating against workers or applicants on the sole basis that they lawfully use marijuana off the employer’s premise and during non-work hours. Unemployment benefits couldn’t be denied due to cannabis use, either.

So far, arguments about the potential benefits of legalization have not translated into meaningful legislative action in the Badger State. Republican leaders have said they’re working on limited medical cannabis legislation, but a bill to that end has not yet been formally introduced this session, despite Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) saying they intended to get it out “this fall.”

Another GOP lawmaker in the state, Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R), said recently that Democrats like Agard who are advocating for comprehensive legalization are detracting from efforts to advance incremental reform. But as the minority leader has pointed out, Republicans wield control of both chambers and could theoretically move whatever version of the reform they’d like at any point.

Together, we will make change from the ground up – starting at the grassroots – and work towards equitable, responsible adult #cannabis usage in Wisconsin.

You can sign the petition for a public hearing here: https://t.co/XeeEq9OKObhttps://t.co/ho3SLauh50

— Senator Melissa Agard 🌻 (@SenatorAgard) November 21, 2023

The GOP-controlled legislature in May voted again to strip cannabis reform language from Gov. Tony Evers’s (D) budget request, which included measures on legalizing, taxing and regulating cannabis in the state.

As part of the Evers’s budget request this year, his office estimated that the state would generate $44.4 million in “segregated tax revenue” from legal cannabis, as well as a $10.2 million increase in state general fund tax revenue, in fiscal year 2025 if the reform is enacted.

The governor also included adult-use and medical marijuana legalization in his 2021 budget, as well as decriminalization and medical cannabis in his 2019 proposal, but the conservative legislature has consistently blocked the reform.

With respect to Agard’s bill, the state Department of Revenue released a fiscal estimate of its economic impact earlier this month, projecting that the reform would generate nearly $170 million annually in tax revenue.

Meanwhile, bipartisan and bicameral Wisconsin lawmakers recently came together to introduce a bill that would create a psilocybin research pilot program in the state.

Ohio GOP Senate President Lays Out Process To Revise Marijuana Law, Arguing Voters Didn’t Understand Some Provisions

Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.

Top Wisconsin Senator Talks Marijuana Legalization Fight Amid GOP Opposition

Wisconsin’s Democratic Senate minority leader keeps a U.S. map in her office, color-coded to show the status of state marijuana laws around the country. Lately, that map has been growing greener and greener—but not in Wisconsin itself, where the GOP-controlled legislature has resisted even incremental reform.

With Minnesota lawmakers next door poised to send a legalization bill to the pro-reform governor’s desk, Wisconsin will soon become an island of prohibition, surrounded by three states with adult-use markets and one with a limited medical program. Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) has worked to change that, but Republican leadership controls the agenda—and legalization is not on that list.

“We know that, in Wisconsin, when the Republican members of the legislature want to address something and get it done, they can do it in a swift manner,” Agard told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview on Monday. “And they clearly are not prioritizing cannabis reform in Wisconsin. We haven’t seen it happen.”

Updating the office map AGAIN for #MarijuanaMonday!

Last week, Maryland @GovWesMoore signed into law #cannabis reform, and Marylanders will offficial have a legal recreational market on July 1st, 2023! pic.twitter.com/c5h2Vs5dAg

— Senator Melissa Agard 🌻 (@SenatorAgard) May 9, 2023

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) said last month that GOP legislators have been privately working on medical cannabis legislation—but no bills have been introduced, no details have been disclosed and no hearings have been scheduled. The Senate minority leader is skeptical.

“I continue to not be looped in to any conversations that are happening and continue to offer myself to be part of them,” she said. “They haven’t provided any sort of actual examples of what policy they would be interested in moving forward.”

If GOP members are seriously considering medical cannabis reform, the expectation is that any proposal that emerges from those discussions will be restrictive—possibly so restrictive that Democrats might be unwilling to go along with it.

Gov. Tony Evers (D), who strongly supports legalization, said in January that he does believe Republicans will introduced medical cannabis legislation this session, and he committed to signing it into law, so long as it’s not “flawed” with too many limitations.

69% of Wisconsinites support marijuana legalization and Republican leadership continues to ignore the will of the people. https://t.co/yPjYkhpzaE

— Senator Melissa Agard 🌻 (@SenatorAgard) May 11, 2023

The governor and the GOP majority have had a strained relationship on this issue. Leadership has criticized Evers for putting adult-use legalization in recent budget requests, with the Assembly speaker warning this year that including the broad reform could jeopardize talks on more modest medical marijuana legislation.

He did it anyways—and, at a joint committee hearing last week, Republicans responded in kind, stripping both recreational and medical cannabis language from the budget proposal, along with hundreds of other policy items.

Doing so, they said, was a matter of fiscal responsibility. But Democrats say that’s a red herring that ignores the fact that enacting a regulated cannabis market in Wisconsin would ultimately generate revenue and create jobs.

#Cannabis prohibition is not working for #Wisconsin.

We need to #LegalizeIt to address Wisconsin's egregious racial disparities, bolster our agriculture and farming heritage, safely regulate the existing illicit market, and support entrepreneurhip. https://t.co/5Q8pEGkAh8

— Senator Melissa Agard 🌻 (@SenatorAgard) May 2, 2023

Agard said in the Marijuana Moment interview that cannabis reform is just one of several major policy issues where there’s a clear disconnect between what the majority of voters want and what GOP majority does. She attributes much of the problem to “extreme gerrymandering” in the state.

Still, cannabis does put a unique spotlight on the political inaction because support for legalization is strong and increasingly bipartisan, leaving voters in both parties to question leadership.

“The folks that are advocating for cannabis reform are such a diverse and broad coalition,” the minority leader said. She’s seen this firsthand as she visits cities across Wisconsin as part of her “Grass Routes” tour, talking to people of different political backgrounds who come to her “scratching their heads and frustrated” over the lack of meaningful reform.

“They see it as common sense. They see it as actually making Wisconsin safer—as well as the ability to invest in the prosperity of our state and honor people’s personal liberties,” she said. “To me, that’s the trifecta of good governance, so we’ll continue.”

Wisconsinites have shown support for the issue in different ways. Polling has come across loud and clear—but voters have also passed a number of local non-binding advisory questions during elections to tell lawmakers in Madison where they stand on marijuana.

The local referendums have been “super important because it allows people to feel less alone in their viewpoints,” Agard said.

“There’s been so much stigma in advocating for cannabis reform across our nation for so long,” she said. “And when people can actually vote their values—even if it’s a non-binding referendum, which I know is frustrating to many people in Wisconsin—they actually realize that there is safety in having these conversations publicly, and they feel less alone. I think that that is helpful in building coalitions and figuring out how it is that we actually change.”

That right to place advisory questions on city and county ballots is being threatened, however. As part of a bill on revenue sharing, Republican lawmakers included a two-line provision that would prohibit municipalities from holding such referenda. The governor has said that he will not sign the legislation as drafted.

“Republicans wanted to take out non-fiscal conversations from a budget bill, but now they are actually inserting poison pills that they aren’t able to get through standalone bills,” Agard said. “That feels really tricky. It feels like they’re on both sides of the knife.”

—Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.—

Another way that voters have demonstrated support for legalization is with their dollars, she said. Specifically, the millions of dollars that are being spent by Wisconsinites who are traveling to nearby legal states like Illinois and Michigan to buy cannabis from adult-use retailers.

There’s still a thriving illicit market for marijuana in Wisconsin, the senator said, yet residents are spending the extra time and money to patronize licensed cannabis shops, underscoring the demand for a regulated market.

At Agard’s request, the state’s non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) carried out a study that was released in March showing that Wisconsin residents purchased more than $121 million worth of marijuana from Illinois retailers in 2022, contributing about $36 million in tax revenue to the state.

Wisconsin’s out-dated marijuana laws are costing us so much more than $36 million – lives are being disrupted – but this is so upsetting to see Wisconsinites hard-earned tax dollars go to Illinois because WI GOP refuses to listen to the will of the people. https://t.co/TkqUEeOH8F

— Senator Melissa Agard 🌻 (@SenatorAgard) March 17, 2023

A separate report published by Wisconsin Policy Forum in February found that 50 percent of adults 21 and older in the state live within 75 minutes of an out-of-state cannabis retailer, such as in Illinois or Michigan. That percentage stands to increase when Minnesota’s market eventually comes online.

Agard shares the frustration of voters, but she remains optimistic that the scales will eventually tip in favor of reform. The coalition of bipartisan supporters continues to grow, regional dynamics continue to challenge the status quo of prohibition and lawmakers continue to face pressure to make a change.

“It’s not a matter of if it’s going to happen,” she said. “It’s a matter of when.”

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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.