This resolution urges states and localities to advance equity in cannabis policy and address the racial disparities created by decades of marijuana prohibition. It notes that Black people are 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than White people despite similar usage rates, and that non-White ownership of cannabis businesses has actually shrunk. The resolution calls for eliminating criminal penalties for personal use, automatic expungement of cannabis records at no cost, reducing prohibitive licensing fees, and reinvesting tax revenue in communities most harmed by the war on drugs. It also urges the U.S. to push for descheduling cannabis at the United Nations.
Congressional Summary
Realizing Equitable & Sustainable Participation in Emerging Cannabis Trades Resolution or the RESPECT ResolutionThis resolution encourages states and localities to adopt best practices and take bold steps to address disparities in the cannabis marketplace and to address, reverse, and repair the effects of the war on drugs on communities of color. The resolution also expresses the sense that the President should direct the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to seek to treat cannabis as a legal commodity.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-12-04
- Date Added
- 2026-04-06