Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), proposed a sweeping bill on Thursday that would lift decades-old federal prohibitions on marijuana, Politico has reported.

The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act aims to decriminalize the drug on the federal level and allow states to set their own marijuana laws without fear of punishment from Washington.

“I am proud to be the first Majority Leader ever to say that it is time to end the federal prohibition on cannabis, and this bill provides the best framework for updating our cannabis laws and reversing decades of harm inflicted by the war on drugs,” Schumer said in his floor remarks.

“I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans to get something done this year,” he continued.

Schumer added that the bill would legalize cannabis by removing the drug from the Controlled Substances Act, which would empower “states to create their own cannabis laws instead.”

“It will establish a robust regulatory system to protect public health and ensure that cannabis is as safe as possible. It includes rules to prevent impaired driving, prevent youth access, and prevent illegal diversion. We also robustly fund a variety of research programs to make up for lost time when it comes to cannabis research,” he continued.

Schumer also noted that the bill includes measures that would wipe clean federal criminal records of those “with convictions for non-violent cannabis offenses.”

“It is a tragedy that far too many Americans—particularly Black and Hispanic Americans—have permanent blots on their records making it nearly impossible to move forward with their lives, just because they were arrested with a little marijuana in their pocket. How unfair and what a waste of human resources,” he said.

As reported by Insider, the bill is “unlikely to become law in this Congress” due to the fact that “60 senators don't support making cannabis more widely available—including not just most Republicans but many Democrats—and the White House has voiced unspecified support for more limited reforms.”

Politico added that even if the legislation “were somehow to pass, it is unclear if President Joe Biden would sign it,” as he has repeatedly stated that he does not support federal marijuana legalization.

Currently, eighteen states and Washington DC have legalized cannabis for adult use, while thirty-seven states have medical marijuana programs.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Washington state-based Finance and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.

Image: Reuters.