The Past, Present, and Future of Legal Cannabis

As federal reform hits the Senate floor, an attorney who spearheaded the first adult-use cannabis legalization effort in the nation gives insight into federal efforts.

Senate Democrats, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, today formally filed their cannabis legalization bill — the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA or CAO, depending on who you read or talk to). It is, more or less, their answer to the House Democrats' MORE Act, which the House has now twice passed but that has been essentially ignored by the Senate.

Vicente Sederberg Founding Partner Christian Sederberg spoke with Vangst CEO Karson Humiston earlier this week on the Proud to Work in Cannabis Podcast. Sederberg and his firm, along with its policy and public affairs consulting arm, VS Strategies, wrote and then spearheaded the historic Amendment 64 campaign that made Colorado the first government in the world to legalize, regulate, and tax sales of the cannabis plant.

Sederberg is also chair emeritus of the U.S. Cannabis Council which has been working very closely and actively on the CAO and other federal reform legislation. He gave Karson some insights into his view of the bill's potential impact.

"Now that doesn't answer the question, 'When is cannabis gonna be regulated federally,'" Sederberg said. "But this is a huge, huge step along with the MORE Act which has passed the House on multiple occasions — which is comprehensive reform, but hasn't really moved anywhere in the Senate.

"... It doesn't seem likely to advance this Congress, but what it does is it has just a major influence on future comprehensive reform proposals, particularly on the democratic side."

Give the podcast a listen to hear more about progression in federal drug policy, as well as get an inside look at the entrepreneur attorney's journey — from Amendment 64 to today.