A bill to decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, to provide for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the War on Drugs, to provide for expungement of certain cannabis offenses, and for other purposes.
Key claim: S5022 would decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, fund reinvestment for communities harmed by the War on Drugs, and provide expungement of certain cannabis offenses.
Abstract
(S5022 · 119th Congress) Latest action (2026-07-16): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Why this matters
Federal cannabis descheduling would end criminal liability under the Controlled Substances Act for cannabis-related conduct that remains lawful under many state regimes, resolving a long-standing federal-state conflict. Paired expungement and reinvestment provisions target the downstream civil-rights harms — employment, housing, licensing, and family-integrity consequences — borne disproportionately by communities subject to intensive drug enforcement. Contested questions include whether expungement should be automatic or petition-based, the scope of covered offenses, and how reinvestment eligibility and administration should be defined.