New US law would treat marijuana like alcohol

Lawmakers have proposed new measures that would radically change the way marijuana is monitored in the US – by bringing the drug’s regulations in line with those for alcohol.

Marijuana regulations could mirror those for alcohol under proposed law

Senator Ron Wyden and representative Earl Blumenauer have introduced the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act as part of a three-pronged package of cannabis-related bills.

The act would direct the attorney general to remove marijuana “in any form” from the Controlled Substances Act, meaning use of the drug would no longer be a felony offence and could be legally sold across the US, regardless of state.

Adults aged 21 and over could legally purchased and consume cannabis under the act, while the drug itself would become subject to the same advertising regulations that govern alcohol.

However, the law would prohibit shipping or transporting marijuana outside of the United States “into such a jurisdiction in which its possession, use, or sale is prohibited”.

The act would also give the Food and Drug Administration the “same authority with respect to marijuana as it has for alcohol” and would “transfer functions of the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration relating to marijuana enforcement to the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives”, which would be renamed.

A wave of cannabis legislation has recently swept across the US and a total of 29 states have now legalised the substance.