GOP Congresswoman Takes Marijuana Victory Lap After Primary Win And Talks Next Steps For Her Legalization Bill

Amongst members of the GOP congressional freshman class for the 117th Congress, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) shortly stood out for bucking the Republican establishment and submitting a comprehensive bill to federally legalize marijuana.

It was a transfer that generated headlines and endeared her to a coalition of allies who have been happy to see a GOP member take a daring stance on reform. Nevertheless it additionally made her a target of cannabis-specific attacks from her major opponent and a prohibitionist PAC, and it earned the congresswoman no favor along with her dwelling state’s Republican occasion, which got here out towards her States Reform Act (SRA).

These attacks proved impotent, though, and Mace instructed Marijuana Second in a telephone interview on Thursday that her sturdy with on major election day was no coincidence. If something, the opposition messaging gave her a platform to teach extra individuals concerning the bipartisan enchantment of ending prohibition and making a regulatory infrastructure that helps small companies and helps proper the wrongs of prohibition. If a candidate goes to assault an opponent over hashish reform these days, she mentioned, they’re “going to lose huge.”

However regardless of the keenness over the congresswoman’s SRA, there’s been little motion since its introduction final 12 months with Democrats nonetheless narrowly holding management of each chambers and the White Home. Management within the Home handed its personal legalization invoice—the Marijuana Alternative, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act—in April. And Senate management is finalizing its personal complete reform proposal that’s anticipated to be launched forward of the August recess.

With time operating brief, and different legislative priorities taking priority, Mace is tempering expectations concerning the prospect of a committee listening to on her invoice this 12 months regardless of previously saying she had been promised one. That’s despite the truth that, as she sees it, SRA is “the one sport on the town” that might garner sufficient bipartisan help to be enacted anytime quickly.

“We’re keen to play ball. We’re keen to work with anybody who’s keen to work with us on each side of the aisle to push it ahead,” she mentioned. “However that is the one piece of laws that has an opportunity of going wherever this 12 months or, fairly frankly, subsequent legislative session.”

What occurs subsequent legislative session is an enormous open query. The rising consensus is that Democrats stand to lose their majority in not less than one chamber, and if the Home flips, Mace says she has a plan to persuade her reluctant GOP colleagues to maneuver her invoice. A Republican Home majority might give her higher leverage to advance SRA, which shares many basic provisions with Democratic-led laws.

Mace spoke with Marijuana Second about her major win within the face of hashish assaults, the trail ahead for SRA, classes realized making an attempt to construct bipartisan help for reform as a freshman congresswoman and extra. The next interview has been calmly edited for size and readability.

Marijuana Second: What does it say to you that you simply gained your major election regardless of being attacked over your help for hashish legalization?

Nancy Mace: Nicely, it exhibits that the one place that that is controversial is in Washington, D.C., the place they’re nonetheless making an attempt to advertise prohibition and say this can be a gateway drug, when it’s not. The American individuals know higher, and so they’re smarter than that. And really, it gave us an actual alternative to have an actual dialog a couple of plant that has so many advantages for therefore many individuals, not solely in South Carolina, however throughout the nation.

So I utilized the problem as I used to be getting attacked in TV advertisements and digital advertisements, on social media, in every single place actually on the problem. I used it as a possibility to teach the general public as a result of I understand how useful that is. It’s one thing I’ve been very captivated with. It’s one thing I’ve labored on as a state lawmaker earlier than coming to Congress.

However I additionally polled the hell out of it. That is after I did the States Reform Act, and understanding that the overwhelming majority of conservatives, Republicans, left and proper, individuals on each side of the aisle, help the problem when it’s executed in a accountable approach. And that’s what I believe what individuals actually simply need to see—that duty, that frequent sense, the place now we have frequent floor and shifting it ahead.

So for us, I take a look at each problem as a possibility. And I used it as a possibility to teach individuals on what the invoice did and didn’t do. Whenever you clarify that to individuals, they’re like, “Yeah, I get it, that is sensible. And that’s one thing I completely help.” It goes to point out that if you smear your opponent, you lie about them, if you assault them on a problem that’s wildly well-liked, even with the bottom, that you simply’re gonna lose and also you’re gonna lose huge and actually didn’t have an effect on the result of the race, regardless of the assaults. In truth, my opponent’s first advert had an assault that was, you already know, calling me excessive and telling me I have to get a drug take a look at and all these issues. And it simply didn’t stick. It didn’t work and was not efficient.

It simply goes to point out how out of contact many people who find themselves in workplace, or making an attempt to get in workplace, actually are on the problem.

MM: You’ve talked about receiving a dedication from committee management to carry a listening to on SRA this 12 months. Do you could have any updates to that finish?

NM: We had been promised a listening to on Oversight, however what we’re seeing is we’re up towards the wall on the timeline. That is solely June. Nonetheless, there are lower than 28 days now legislatively between now and the tip of the 12 months to get something executed. And so we’re actually pushing up towards a deadline, and with the January 6 hearings which might be happening, that’s pushing again the possible dates for us to have a listening to on Oversight. And so we’re involved about when that date will probably be in timing it. We have been anticipating to do it in July, however what the January 6 hearings, it’s pushing the whole lot again in it. And so we’re trying on the solely different choice could be in September.

So what [Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)] does within the meantime, it’s actually exhausting to say. There’s some dialogue on what sort of invoice might or might not come out of the Senate. And a part of the dialogue we’re listening to this week is that any taxes or tax origination or creation within the Senate goes to be problematic for the invoice. So no matter invoice he does can’t embody any tax provisions. That has to start out within the Home.

And the one invoice within the Home proper now’s the States Reform Act. That is the one sport on the town, and we’re keen to play. We’re keen to work with anybody who’s keen to work with us on each side of the aisle to push it ahead. However that is the one piece of laws that has an opportunity of going wherever this 12 months, or fairly frankly, subsequent legislative session as a result of the best way it’s been bungled, fairly frankly, up till this juncture. The MORE Act has handed; it has no probability of getting via the Senate. If Schumer did the invoice, it could’t contact taxes, and that won’t be ok for him within the Senate. It’s acquired to start out over right here within the Home.

The one factor standing proper now’s our laws. We’ve reached out to of us on each side of the aisle. We’re nonetheless pushing ahead and and speaking to Republicans and Democrats. We’re nonetheless pushing for the listening to date and demanding these issues that we’ve been promised earlier than as a result of we need to transfer this ahead. There’s no cause why we have to sit on this and wait once we ought to be having debate, we ought to be taking a look at amendments that each side of the aisle need to see on the laws in order that we all know the place we are able to begin, beginning in January once we hit the bottom operating with the following legislative session.

MM: Talking of January, if Republicans retake the bulk within the Home, what are you able to say concerning the function you intend to play in constructing buy-in, particularly out of your GOP colleagues who’ve traditionally resisted legalization?

NM: We’re going to take a seat down with management and get with them and determine what the barometer is, each within the Senate and Home. We need to sit down with management and have a job in pushing ahead. If it’s solely going to be SAFE Banking, what’s subsequent? As a result of that’s not ok. What are the following obstacles that we are able to take away for companies? For the financial system? For descheduling? For decriminalizing? What does that chessboard seem like? What are the following provisions that we will be engaged on and advocating for to maneuver this ahead—as a result of it’s previous time to do one thing on this, and we need to have a management function.

MM: You will have a document championing hashish reform within the South Carolina legislature, however I’m curious what classes you’ve taken away thus far in your first time period in Congress in the case of the challenges of constructing help for hashish reform on Capitol Hill?

NM: It’s us coming collectively and dealing exhausting, placing apart our variations, and it’s very tough for Congress to do. It’s placing these variations apart on each side of the aisle and saying this can be a profitable challenge. This is a matter that the American individuals deeply care about, the overwhelming majority of individuals care about, and it’s very tough. And it’s not simply this challenge. It’s throughout the board on the whole lot—whether or not we’re speaking about immigration, whether or not we’re speaking about Ukraine, whether or not we’re speaking about spending provide chain inflation—is placing these variations apart and discovering the place small components could make an enormous distinction.

And incrementally, though, clearly, I might like to see a complete reform bundle go, however what can we do incrementally collectively? If complete isn’t the best way to go, effectively then the place will we agree? And let’s discover out. What are the following 2, 3, 5, 10 issues—10 steps that we are able to take collectively and in what order to maneuver the ball ahead? And I don’t maintain grudges. I’ve no unwell will in the direction of anyone up right here. I actually, really need to work along with of us.

And that’s what we tried to do with the SRA is present that this can be a path—that this can be a viable path—and we’re keen to work with any workplace who needs to work with us to actually, meaningfully get this throughout the end line. That is the best way to do it in a non-partisan method. This checks the field for the left and the suitable. It’s such invoice. However I don’t care who does it. I’m glad to go it off to the following one that says, “hey, we’ll work with you on this,” and we’ll determine a strategy to slice and cube it and transfer it ahead We’re detached to that.

We simply need it to occur, and we need to present that there’s a viable path ahead. And we’re going to proceed to work exhausting and work collectively, even with workplaces which might be making an attempt to withstand it and are attempting to push again, who don’t need to be part of it. We’re going to proceed to make overtures and say that we’re keen to work with anybody who’s keen to work with us as a result of that could be a uncommon discover in Congress. However that’s the solely approach ahead.

MM: You’ve been public about your personal personal experience using marijuana as a therapeutic treatment option. Do you’re feeling like it might be simpler to garner help for reform if extra members equally skilled firsthand the therapeutic advantages of hashish?

NM: I do suppose so. I believe information and data [shows] what does and doesn’t occur, that our regulation enforcement—they’re not involved or frightened or tackling non-violent hashish offenses. They’ve violent crimes, as a result of violent crime is up throughout the nation. I do know in my district in South Carolina, now we have shootings each week it looks like. We’ve acquired actual points going through our nation proper now, this simply isn’t considered one of them. And I additionally typically inform the story about my youngsters who’re center college and highschool and have mates who can’t drive, which might be getting excessive coming to high school every single day. So clearly, what we’ve executed thus far isn’t working. However what is going to work, in placing guardrails in place, which my invoice does, to guard our children and maintain them protected? Now these are the issues that we should be speaking about.

I’ve been very frank in conversations about what we are able to do to guard our kids. And that, you already know, violent crime doesn’t improve when when [cannabis] is legalized in several states, and permitting states to do what they need, at no matter fee that they need to do it and defending the rights of states to do this. We’re seeing states incrementally approve medical after which grownup use over time during the last 20 years. However giving these guardrails and giving a path, a accountable path ahead, that permits individuals to create jobs and to be productive members of society and the financial system and assist get us out of the challenges we’re going through as we speak.

And so I like the invoice. I’m tremendous happy with it. It’s among the finest items of laws I’ve ever labored on it. And I work in plenty of completely different areas. However it’s a place the place we are able to come collectively and discover settlement, each conservatives and progressives alike. We’ve acquired to do this not only for Washington, however we’ve acquired to do it for our nation. And our nation is relying on it, and we’ve acquired to maneuver this factor ahead, no matter our variations.

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