The House Republican Policy Committee is advising GOP lawmakers to oppose legislation that would give cannabis businesses access to banking services, writing in a policy guide that marijuana is a “gateway drug” that leads to “violence, depression and suicide.” The guidance from the panel advises Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives to vote against the Secure And Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which would give state-legal marijuana businesses access to traditional banking services including payroll accounts and credit processing services.
Guidance from a House Republican policy committee is urging GOP members of Congress to vote against ... [+]
The advice was released as a policy guide to advise House GOP members on marijuana issues that was posted to the policy committee’s website late last month. The guidance, which was covered by cannabis news source Marijuana Moment on Monday, also encourages House Republicans to oppose separate legislation that would remove prior cannabis use as a barrier to federal jobs and security clearances. The document begins with a swipe at cannabis policy reform efforts, which have been largely led by Democrats.
“During the 2020 presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris stated that marijuana brings people joy, and there needs to be more joy in the world,” the policy guide begins. “Unless joy is connected to violence, depression, and suicide, Harris is mistaken. Recent studies have revealed that marijuana is not the safe and harmless drug it is portrayed as, and the high percentage of potency in marijuana has greatly contributed to that.”
SAFE Banking Act Has Bipartisan Support
The House of Representatives has passed versions of the SAFE Banking Act seven times with bipartisan support. An updated version of the bill, known as the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation Act, is pending before the U.S. Senate after being approved in committee. In a statement last fall, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said that he intends “to bring the SAFER Banking Act to the Senate floor with all due speed.”
Despite the bipartisan support for the cannabis banking bill, the policy guide urges the Republican caucus to oppose the measure, saying, “Congress should not pass laws like the SAFE Banking Act, which would allow banks to knowingly accept drug money.”
The SAFER Banking Act is pending before the U.S. Senate.
The House Republican Policy Committee’s guidance on marijuana legislation also encourages members to oppose the Cannabis Users’ Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act. The bipartisan bill, which is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, would remove eligibility requirements that deny access to federal jobs and security clearances for people who admit to past cannabis use. The bill was approved by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in September, advancing it for consideration by the full chamber.
“The bipartisan passage of the CURE Act through the Oversight Committee moves the federal government towards recognizing the widely established legal use of medical and recreational cannabis,” Raskin said in a statement after the bill was advanced. “The CURE Act will ensure that talented individuals seeking to honorably serve our country are not precluded from doing so simply because they admit to having once used marijuana.”
The GOP policy guide, however, advises House members vote against the legislation, saying, “Congress should vote no on the CURE Act, which would provide marijuana users possible access to federal security clearances.”
The policy guide cites research that connects cannabis use with increased risks of mental health disorders such as “psychosis, schizophrenia and suicide,” as well as links to “panic, paranoia, fear and anxiety.”
“Instead of turning a blind eye to the dangers associated with marijuana and allowing states to have dispensaries on every corner, Congress should work to ensure that laws in relation to marijuana are enforced,” reads the policy guidance.
Cannabis reform advocates, however, believe the Republican advisory on marijuana policy is misguided. Reid Stewart, CEO of cannabis concentrate manufacturer Frozen Fields, said the GOP committee’s published policy will empower the unlicensed cannabis market and is contrary to traditional Republican values.
“While cannabis use is not without its negatives, the prohibition and criminalization of the products have not worked for the last century,” Stewart writes in an email. “Banking is a basic need for any business and the lack of banking gives another advantage to Illegal operators whose untested and tax-free products already have a competitive advantage. It’s always surprising to me that Republicans who cry out for states' rights choose to continually deny those same states the right to access banking for cannabis even after voters have approved the regulation and use of the products.”
