Responsibly Addressing the Marijuana Policy Gap Act of 2017

Responsibly Addressing the Marijuana Policy Gap Act of 2017

This bill amends various provisions of law and sets forth new provisions:

• to eliminate regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act for marijuana-related activities authorized by state or tribal law (i.e., state-authorized);
• to allow businesses that sell marijuana in compliance with state or tribal law to claim certain federal tax credits and deductions;
• to eliminate restrictions on print and broadcast advertising of state-authorized marijuana-related activities;
• to create protections for depository institutions that provide financial services to marijuana-related businesses;
• to specify that a marijuana-related business is entitled to federal bankruptcy protections;
• to establish a process to expunge criminal records related to certain marijuana-related convictions;
• to reestablish federal student aid eligibility for certain students convicted of a misdemeanor offense for marijuana possession;
• to exempt real property from civil forfeiture due to state-authorized marijuana-related conduct;
• to prohibit the inadmissibility or deportability of aliens for state-authorized marijuana-related conduct;
• to specify that drug-related criminal activity, which is prohibited in federally assisted housing, does not include state-authorized marijuana-related conduct;
• to establish a new, separate registration process to facilitate medical marijuana research;
• to authorize health care providers employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs to recommend participation in state marijuana programs; and
• to authorize medical providers through an Indian health program to make medical recommendations regarding marijuana.