RESPECT Resolution

Bill Number

H.Res. 926

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Crime and Law Enforcement

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-12-04: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Foreign Affairs, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Last Updated

2026-04-03T19:53:39Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

This House Resolution (H. Res. 926), titled the "Realizing Equitable & Sustainable Participation in Emerging Cannabis Trades Resolution" or "RESPECT Resolution," urges federal, state, and local governments to take steps promoting fairness in cannabis laws and the legal cannabis industry. It highlights the ongoing harms from past marijuana prohibition—especially to racial and ethnic minorities—and calls for reforms to repair these effects, reduce disparities, and ensure equitable access to the growing cannabis market.

Key Provisions

The resolution is structured into three main sections:

• Short Title (Section 1): Officially names the resolution as the "RESPECT Resolution."

• Encouragement for Best Practices and Equity Reforms (Section 2): The House encourages states and localities to adopt specific measures to advance equity, address marketplace disparities, and repair harms from the "War on Drugs" (a historical U.S. policy emphasizing strict enforcement of drug laws). These include:
• Decriminalizing possession and use of cannabis at state and local levels, and ensuring cannabis convictions do not block access to public benefits like housing, education, or nutrition assistance.
• Setting reasonable licensing and application fees for cannabis businesses (limited to covering actual program costs, without excessive charges like $100,000+ fees).
• Allowing local governments (cities or counties) to control licensing, based on community needs, to avoid arbitrary limits on business numbers and promote representation of local demographics.
• In states with unavoidable license caps, prioritizing licenses for residents impacted by past drug policies, such as long-term locals, low-income individuals (under 80% of median household income), formerly incarcerated people, those with prior drug convictions, and residents of heavily policed areas; also preventing large corporations from dominating revenue from these equity-focused licenses.
• Supporting small-scale cannabis growers through favorable laws and regulations.
• Reforming licensing to remove broad bans on felons, limit restrictions to case-by-case reviews of relevant crimes (e.g., business-related offenses), and exclude prior cannabis convictions as a denial reason.
• Implementing automatic, free expungement (erasing) or sealing of cannabis-related criminal records, including for those on parole or probation, with notification to affected individuals.
• Creating processes for resentencing (reducing sentences) for current cannabis offenders and adjusting past penalties where laws have changed.
• Banning unnecessary drug testing for non-safety jobs and considering interstate cannabis trade's effects on equity.
• Promoting fair labor standards in the industry, allowing supervised individuals (e.g., on parole) to use cannabis legally under state laws, and permitting medical cannabis for incarcerated people if recommended by a doctor.
• Reinvesting a portion of cannabis tax revenue into affected communities (often communities of color) for job training, reentry programs, expungement costs, libraries, youth opportunities, and health education.
• Using tax funds to create investment opportunities for people of color entering the cannabis industry.
• Ensuring regulatory bodies reflect the community's racial, ethnic, economic, and gender diversity.
• Requiring cannabis businesses to prioritize hiring and subcontracting people of color.
• Designating public spaces for legal cannabis consumption.
• Launching education campaigns on cannabis laws, public health, youth prevention, and avoiding impaired driving.

• International Descheduling (Section 3): Expresses the House's view that the President should instruct the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Vienna to advocate at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs for removing cannabis from international drug control treaties (like the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs). This includes seeking global expungement of past penalties, studying treaty impacts, and treating cannabis as a legal product.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

As a non-binding resolution, it does not directly amend laws but urges changes to current federal, state, and international frameworks:

• Challenges cannabis's federal Schedule I status under the Controlled Substances Act (which classifies it as highly dangerous with no medical use, conflicting with state legalizations).
• Pushes for state-level decriminalization, expungement, and equity-focused licensing, potentially overriding restrictive felony bans and high fees in existing state laws.
• Advocates shifting from prohibition-era policies (e.g., the War on Drugs) to reparative measures, like automatic record sealing and tax reinvestment, which few states currently implement fully.
• Internationally, it calls for U.S. leadership to update UN treaties, moving cannabis from Schedule I (most restrictive) to a less controlled category or full legalization, contrasting with current global classifications.

Potential Impacts

• On Citizens: Could reduce arrests (already down 70%+ in decriminalized areas), ease access to jobs, housing, and benefits for those with cannabis records (disproportionately affecting Black and non-White individuals, who face 3.64 times higher arrest rates despite similar usage). It may boost economic opportunities in the $65 billion (projected $100 billion by 2030) cannabis market for minorities, small businesses, and formerly incarcerated people, while reinvesting taxes (e.g., $25 billion generated by states since 2014) into community programs.

• On Government Agencies: States and localities may face costs for expungement and resentencing processes but could save on enforcement ($10 billion annually nationwide) and gain revenue from equitable licensing. Federal agencies like the Department of Justice and State Department might need to align policies, potentially reducing deportations of immigrants tied to cannabis work. Regulatory bodies would diversify to better represent communities.

• On International Relations: U.S. advocacy for UN descheduling could influence global reforms (e.g., following Canada, Germany, and others), easing tensions with allies legalizing cannabis and reducing deportation issues for immigrants. It might pressure the UN to study outdated treaties, promoting U.S. leadership in drug policy while addressing replicated disparities abroad.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Communities of Color and Low-Income Groups: Primary beneficiaries through reduced disparities, expungement, and prioritized industry access; historically harmed by disproportionate arrests (e.g., Black men receive 13.4 times longer sentences) and barriers to capital/loans.
• Formerly Incarcerated Individuals and Those with Cannabis Records: Gain from record sealing, resentencing, and license priorities, aiding reentry and economic participation.
• Small Cannabis Business Owners (Especially Minorities): Face fewer barriers like high fees and felony bans; non-White ownership dropped to 15.4% in 2022, so reforms could reverse this.
• Immigrants and Non-Citizens: Protected from deportation for state-legal cannabis work.
• States, Localities, and Federal Government: Encouraged to reform policies; states benefit from tax revenue reinvestment and reduced enforcement costs.
• Cannabis Industry Workers and Regulators: Improved labor standards, diverse oversight, and public education enhance fairness and safety.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal Implications: Indirectly questions federal preemption under the Controlled Substances Act by urging state decriminalization and international treaty changes; automatic expungement could streamline court processes but require new state mechanisms, potentially facing challenges over retroactive relief.
• Constitutional Implications: Addresses equal protection concerns under the 14th Amendment by tackling racial disparities in enforcement (e.g., 86.5% of convictions are non-White), promoting restorative justice without mandating federal descheduling, which could avoid Supremacy Clause conflicts.
• Political Implications: Bipartisan sponsorship (e.g., from Louisiana's Mr. Carter and progressives like Ms. Omar) signals growing consensus on cannabis reform amid 24 states legalizing adult use; as a resolution, it builds momentum for binding legislation (e.g., federal descheduling bills) without immediate enforcement, influencing elections and policy debates on criminal justice equity.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2]

Cosponsors (10)

Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5], Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12], Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1], Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4], Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12], Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2], Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7], Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2], Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]

Recent Actions

• 2025-12-04: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Foreign Affairs, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-12-04: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Foreign Affairs, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-12-04: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Foreign Affairs, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-12-04: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Foreign Affairs, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-12-04: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Foreign Affairs, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2025-12-04: Submitted in House
• 2025-12-04: Submitted in House

Bill Versions

• Realizing Equitable & Sustainable Participation in Emerging Cannabis Trades Resolution — issued 2025-12-04 — PDF (10 pages)