The STATES Act (or the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act, yikes) amends the current Controlled Substances Act to prohibit federal interference in states that have their own legal weed laws on the books. Right now, 10 states plus Washington, D.C. have chosen to legalize recreational weed, while 33 more states allow medical marijuana use. That's a staggering majority of states with green laws and green regulations in place. Its sponsors hope to get it through Congress before the next election—and the sooner, the better.
The STATES Act was introduced by Senators Cory Gardner (a Republican from Colorado) and Elizabeth Warren (a Democrat from Massachusetts) in the Senate. In the House, 13 Congresspeople from each party cosponsored it, led by Representatives Earl Blumenauer (a Democrat from Oregon) and David Joyce (a Republican from Ohio), Rolling Stone reports. You can tell a lot from their home states: Colorado was the first state to ever legalize weed, followed by Oregon, and last year, Massachusetts. Ohio, meanwhile, is building a competitive medical marijuana industry.