I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2649 
To decriminalize cannabis, to establish an Equitable Licensing Grant Program 
in the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 19, 2021 
Mr. EVANS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Ju-
diciary, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Small Business, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To decriminalize cannabis, to establish an Equitable Licens-
ing Grant Program in the Small Business Administra-
tion, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Homegrown Act of 
2021’’. 
SEC. 2. DECRIMINALIZATION OF CANNABIS. 
(a) CANNABIS REMOVED FROM SCHEDULE OF CON-
TROLLED SUBSTANCES.—Subsection (c) of schedule I of 
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section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 
U.S.C. 812) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Marihuana’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘Tetrahydrocannabinols’’, 
and renumbering accordingly. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS
TO CONTROLLED 
SUBSTANCES ACT.—The Controlled Substances Act (21 
U.S.C. 801 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 102(44) (21 U.S.C. 802(44)), by 
striking ‘‘marihuana,’’; 
(2) in section 401(b) (21 U.S.C. 841(b))— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A)— 
(I) in clause (vi), by inserting 
‘‘or’’ after the semicolon; 
(II) by striking (vii); and 
(III) 
by 
redesignating 
clause 
(viii) as clause (vii); 
(ii) in subparagraph (B)— 
(I) in clause (vi), by inserting 
‘‘or’’ after the semicolon; 
(II) by striking clause (vii); and 
(III) 
by 
redesignating 
clause 
(viii) as clause (vii); 
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(iii) in subparagraph (C), in the first 
sentence, by striking ‘‘subparagraphs (A), 
(B), and (D)’’ and inserting ‘‘subpara-
graphs (A) and (B)’’; 
(iv) by striking subparagraph (D); 
(v) by redesignating subparagraph (E) 
as subparagraph (D); and 
(vi) in subparagraph (D)(i), as so re-
designated, by striking ‘‘subparagraphs (C) 
and (D)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraph 
(C)’’; 
(B) by striking paragraph (4); and 
(C) by redesignating paragraphs (5), (6), 
and (7) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), respec-
tively; 
(3) 
in 
section 
402(c)(2)(B) 
(21 
U.S.C. 
842(c)(2)(B)), by striking ‘‘marihuana,’’; 
(4) in section 403(d)(1) (21 U.S.C. 843(d)(1)), 
by striking ‘‘marihuana,’’; 
(5) in section 418(a) (21 U.S.C. 859(a)), by 
striking the last sentence; 
(6) in section 419(a) (21 U.S.C. 860(a)), by 
striking the last sentence; 
(7) in section 422(d) (21 U.S.C. 863(d))— 
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(B) in subsection (2) by striking ‘‘mari-
huana’’. 
SEC. 3. EQUITABLE LICENSING GRANT PROGRAM. 
The Administrator of the Small Business Administra-
tion shall establish and carry out a grant program to be 
known as the ‘‘Equitable Licensing Grant Program’’ to 
provide eligible entities funds to develop and implement 
equitable cannabis licensing programs that minimize bar-
riers to cannabis licensing and employment for individuals 
most adversely impacted by the war on drugs, provided 
that each grantee includes at least four of the six of the 
following elements in its licensing program: 
(1) A waiver of cannabis license application fees 
for individuals most adversely impacted by the war 
on drugs who are first-time applicants. 
(2) A prohibition on the denial of a cannabis li-
cense based on a conviction of a cannabis-related of-
fense. 
(3) A prohibition on criminal conviction restric-
tions for licensing except in instances where the con-
viction is relevant to owning and operating a busi-
ness. 
(4) A prohibition on cannabis license holders 
from engaging in suspicion less cannabis drug test-
ing of their prospective or current employees, except 
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in instances of drug testing for safety-sensitive posi-
tions as defined by the Omnibus Transportation 
Employee Testing Act of 1991 (Public Law 102– 
143). 
(5) The establishment of a cannabis licensing 
board, that is reflective of the racial, ethnic, eco-
nomic, and gender composition of the State or local-
ity, to serve as an oversight body of the equitable li-
censing program. 
(6) The establishment of a grant program from 
cannabis tax revenue to support non-profit commu-
nity-based organizations that provide business train-
ing and technical, management, and marketing as-
sistance to individuals most adversely impacted by 
the war on drugs who are starting, sustaining, or ex-
panding a cannabis business. 
Æ 
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