[1] A companion bill was introduced the same day in the House of Representatives, sponsored by Earl Blumenauer (Democrat from Oregon) and David Joyce (Republican from Ohio).
[8] According to Voice of America, "The impetus for the legislation was a decision by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in January to rescind Obama-era Justice Department guidelines that encouraged prosecutors to adopt a hands-off approach to marijuana law enforcement in states where the substance was legal", referring to the Cole Memorandum provisions rescinded on January 4, 2018.
[9] On April 25, 2018, Senators Cory Gardner and Elizabeth Warren announced that they would introduce a bipartisan bill to prevent Federal interference with states that had legalized marijuana.
[27] The same day, twelve governors, from West Coast states that had legalized cannabis for adult use, plus Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota and Pennsylvania, sent a letter to Congress urging passage of the measure.
[31] In testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee on April 10, 2019, then-Attorney General William Barr said he preferred the legislation over the "intolerable" status quo of conflicting state and federal laws.