DENVER - Colorado Governor Jared Polis applauded President Biden’s decision to reschedule cannabis. In December of 2023, Governor Polis led a coalition of fellow Governors and called upon President Biden and the Drug Enforcement Administration to reschedule cannabis. This action will save Colorado businesses money by removing the heavy financial burden that 280E punitive tax measures created.
“The long wait is over and we thank President Biden and his administration for this major action on cannabis reform by moving marijuana from being in the same schedule as heroin to the schedule of codeine, acknowledging for the first time therapeutic use. Colorado and 37 other states have taken comprehensive steps to legalize marijuana for medical or adult use, pushing our country past the failed era of prohibition. This action from the President is pro-freedom, and forward-thinking, and will help our economy and improve public safety. Today we begin to say goodbye to burdensome 280E tax provisions and embrace an expansion of freedoms Coloradans and Americans deeply value,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis.
Governor Polis has been a champion for federal cannabis reform for well over 15 years and was a co-founder of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. In April and August of 2021, Governor Polis called upon Congressional leaders to pass the Safe Banking Act. Also in 2021, Governor Polis led an effort with 21 other Governors to encourage Congress to pass SAFE Banking Amendments.
In 2020, Governor Polis took Executive action to pardon 2,732 Coloradans who had previous marijuana possession convictions of one ounce or less. In 2021, Gov. Polis signed a law increasing the amount of marijuana that adults 21 and older in Colorado can legally possess from one ounce to two ounces and signed an Executive Order granting an additional 1,351 pardons for convictions of possession of two ounces or less of marijuana.
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