Can Cannabis Interstate Commerce Be A Shortcut To Federal Legalization?

After an initial burst of celebration over last week’s House approval of the MORE Act, landmark legislation that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, the hard realization that getting the bill past the finish line and signed into law is an unlikely proposition is beginning to set in. Even some cannabis activists aren’t sure the bill is the right path to legalization, and getting the measure a fair hearing in the Senate while Mitch McConnell is at the reins isn’t at all likely.

With that reality in mind, a new group aimed at establishing a legal framework for cannabis interstate commerce was formed in September. Dubbed the Alliance for Sensible Markets, the group of activists and industry representatives has two primary goals. First, the group is working to bring two or more states with legal marijuana together to join in an interstate compact outlining the parameters for legal cannabis commerce between them. Secondly, a path to federal approval of the plan would have to be determined and executed. Paired with a federal policy that would permit state-legal cannabis businesses to operate without interference, interstate cannabis commerce could be a more…