Congress should re-evaluate its stance on marijuana.
That’s according to one state representative who wants to end inconsistencies between state and federal marijuana laws.
In a resolution introduced in the Michigan House, Republican State Representative Jeff Yaroch called on congress to clarify its position on marijuana.
Michigan voters legalized medical marijuana at the state level in 2008 and recreational marijuana in 2016, but at the federal level marijuana remains a controlled substance.
Yaroch said it’s time for Congress to clarify the federal position on marijuana.
“I’m not here to advocate for it or against it,” he said. “It’s about it’s hard to legislate something that’s federally illegal at the same time voters of the state of Michgian said they wanted treated differently than federal law.”
Yaroch said marijuana being legal at the state level but illegal at the federal level creates legislative problems - particularly for marijuana businesses wanting to keep their money in a bank.
“For example because banks are regulated by the federal government the money can’t be held in a federally regulated institution,” he said. “Where people are more comfortable typically having the money.”
A bill in the US House, called the SAFE Banking Act, would allow banks to work with marijuana businesses in states where marijuana has been legalized. But, according to Skopos Labs, that bill has a 2% chance of being enacted.
Yaroch said he hopes his resolution will put pressure on Congress to take a look at the conflicting laws.