Congress studies cannabis legalization with criminal justice reform at center
S. 3576 — PREPARE Act of 2025 · Filed by John Hickenlooper (D-CO) · Introduced Dec 18, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill creates a federal Commission on Cannabis Regulation tasked with studying how to transition from cannabis prohibition to a regulated legal framework modeled on alcohol regulation. The Commission will hold public hearings, solicit input from industry, criminal justice advocates, and state regulators, and deliver recommendations within one year on how to address barriers to legalization—including criminal justice reform, banking access for cannabis businesses, medical research, and product safety standards.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is establishing a deliberative commission to study a regulatory pathway for cannabis legalization, modeled on alcohol. It is not a legalization bill itself, but a procedural mechanism to gather evidence and recommendations for future legislative action.
What the text implies
- The commission's one-year timeline and explicit modeling on alcohol regulation suggests Congress may be preparing for rapid legalization legislation following the report, potentially bypassing extended debate.
- Inclusion of state cannabis regulators and multi-state operators on the commission may amplify industry influence over the regulatory framework design, potentially favoring larger operators over small/minority-owned businesses despite SBA representation.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
cannabis cultivators and retailers (state-licensed operators); multi-state cannabis operators; cannabis ancillary industries (testing, packaging, distribution)