Urging action to increase equity within cannabis policy and the legal cannabis marketplace.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Carter of Louisiana (for himself, Ms. Omar, Ms. Simon, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The RESPECT Resolution (H.Res.926) is a non-binding House resolution that encourages states and localities to adopt equity-focused cannabis policies. It calls for addressing the harms caused by the War on Drugs, particularly on communities of color, by promoting fair licensing practices, expunging cannabis convictions, and reinvesting tax revenue in affected communities.
Who Benefits and How
- Individuals with prior cannabis convictions would benefit from automatic expungement of their records, allowing them to seek employment and housing without the stigma of a criminal record.
- Low-income residents and communities of color would receive priority in cannabis business licensing, giving them opportunities to participate in the legal cannabis industry.
- Small cannabis cultivators and minority entrepreneurs would benefit from policies designed to prevent large corporations from dominating the market, creating space for local, community-based businesses.
- Communities most affected by cannabis enforcement would see reinvestment of cannabis tax revenue into job training, reentry services, libraries, community centers, and youth programs.
Who Bears the Burden and How
- Large cannabis corporations and wealthy investors would face restrictions designed to prevent them from capturing revenue from equity-prioritized license holders.
- State and local governments would need to implement complex new licensing systems, expungement processes, and regulatory oversight bodies if they choose to follow these recommendations.
- This is a non-binding resolution, so compliance is voluntary and there are no direct federal mandates.
Key Provisions
- Encourages eliminating criminal penalties for cannabis possession and preventing denial of public benefits based on cannabis convictions
- Recommends priority licensing for long-term residents, low-income individuals, formerly incarcerated people, and those with prior cannabis violations
- Calls for automatic, free expungement of cannabis criminal records and resentencing for those currently incarcerated
- Urges reinvestment of cannabis tax revenue into communities most affected by drug enforcement
- Calls on the President to seek international descheduling of cannabis at the United Nations
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
A House Resolution encouraging states and localities to adopt best practices for cannabis equity, address disparities in cannabis marketplace participation, and repair harms from the War on Drugs on communities of color.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Non-binding resolution expressing House policy preferences to encourage states to adopt equity-focused cannabis legalization policies and urge international descheduling of cannabis"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Communities of color disproportionately affected by cannabis enforcement
- Individuals with prior cannabis convictions seeking employment or business licenses
- Small cannabis cultivators and entrepreneurs from disadvantaged communities
- Formerly incarcerated individuals seeking record expungement
- Minority-owned cannabis businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs
- Low-income residents seeking entry into the cannabis industry
Likely Burden Bearers
- Large cannabis corporations and wealthy investors (restrictions on market dominance)
- States and localities (encouraged but not mandated to implement changes)
- Existing criminal justice systems (encouraged to reform sentencing and records)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_house"
- → House of Representatives expressing policy preferences
- "states_and_localities"
- → State governments and local jurisdictions encouraged to adopt recommended practices
- "the_president"
- → President of the United States
- "us_mission_un"
- → U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Vienna
- "commission_on_narcotic_drugs"
- → UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology