Congressman Cohen introduces comprehensive reform of the Controlled Substances Act to align drug policy with science, public health, and equal justice

Congressman Steve Cohen introduced the Public Health and Research Reforms in Controlled Substances Act, a broad rewrite of the 1970 Controlled Substances Act focused on public health, equal justice, scientific accuracy, and research access. The bill would create more granular schedules, require transparent factor analysis with an external advisory committee, shift key scientific and scheduling responsibilities toward the Department of Health and Human Services, establish blanket research licenses, and strengthen coordination on emerging drug trends. It would eliminate weight-based mandatory minimum drug penalties, direct sentencing reforms and retroactivity, preserve enforcement against major traffickers, and remove marijuana from the CSA. About 30 substances, including psilocybin and ibogaine, would be reviewed for more precise scheduling rather than automatically descheduled. The proposal was endorsed by MAPS, SSDP, the Drug Policy Alliance, and NORML.