# Plain Language Summary: The Homegrown Act of 2021

This bill does two main things: it removes cannabis from the federal list of controlled substances (meaning it's no longer a federal crime to possess or use it), and it creates a grant program to help people start cannabis businesses, especially those who were harmed by past drug enforcement policies.

The decriminalization part eliminates cannabis and THC from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act—the federal law that classifies illegal drugs. This means the federal government would no longer prosecute people for cannabis possession or use. However, this doesn't automatically make cannabis legal everywhere; individual states would still be able to set their own rules. It also removes cannabis-related penalties from various federal laws, including rules about where drugs can be grown and how law enforcement can monitor drug-related crimes.

The second major part creates the "Equitable Licensing Grant Program" through the Small Business Administration. This program gives money to states and cities to help them set up fair cannabis licensing systems. The goal is to help people who were disproportionately affected by the war on drugs—particularly communities of color and low-income people who faced arrest and conviction for cannabis offenses. To receive this grant money, states and cities must include at least four of six specific fairness measures in their licensing programs. These include waiving application fees for first-time applicants from affected communities, preventing cannabis convictions from automatically disqualifying someone from getting a license, limiting criminal background checks to only relevant offenses, restricting drug testing by cannabis employers (except for safety-sensitive jobs), creating diverse oversight boards, and funding nonprofits that provide business training to people from communities harmed by drug enforcement.

Homegrown Act of 2021

Evans, Dwight

Homegrown Act of 2021 This bill removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana. Additionally, the bill requires the Small Business Administration to establish the Equitable Licensing Grant Program. The purpose of the grant program is to support the implementation of cannabis licensing programs that minimize barriers to licensing and employment for individuals adversely impacted by the war on drugs.