On February 20, 2015, Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado introduced the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act (H.R. 1013), and Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon introduced its companion, the Marijuana Tax Revenue Act (H.R. 1014), a two-bill plan to end federal marijuana prohibition and tax legal cannabis. Neither bill got a vote. Both died when the 114th Congress ended, but they laid out the basic federal framework that later legalization bills followed: remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, leave the choice to the states, and add a federal excise tax.
What the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act Proposed
The introduced text of H.R. 1013 had 11 original cosponsors, including Blumenauer, Dana Rohrabacher of California (a Republican), Barbara Lee and Eleanor Holmes Norton. It was referred to five House committees: Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Natural Resources and Agriculture. Its main provisions:
- Descheduling. The Attorney General would have 60 days to issue a final order removing marijuana “in any form” from all federal drug schedules.
- States decide. The Controlled Substances Act would no longer apply to marijuana, except that shipping it into a state in violation of that state’s law would become a federal crime, punishable by up to one year in prison. The bill added marijuana to the Webb-Kenyon Act, the 1913 law that lets dry states keep out liquor.
- ATF, not DEA. Federal enforcement duties for marijuana would move from the Drug Enforcement Administration to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
- Federal permits. Marijuana importers and other commercial players would need a Treasury Department permit under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act, the same permit system used for the alcohol trade.
- FDA oversight. The Food and Drug Administration would get the same authority over marijuana that it has over alcohol.
The Companion Tax Bill
Blumenauer’s Marijuana Tax Revenue Act of 2015, with seven original cosponsors, went to the Ways and Means Committee. It would have created a federal excise tax on the first sale of marijuana by a producer or importer: 10% of the price for the first two years, then 15%, 20% and finally 25%. Marijuana sold for medical use under state law was exempt. Marijuana businesses would also pay an annual occupational tax of $1,000 for producers, importers and manufacturers and $500 for other businesses, and would need a Treasury Department permit before opening.
Why It Mattered
The bills arrived at a turning point. Colorado and Washington had opened licensed stores in 2014, voters in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D.C. had approved legalization that November, and Alaska’s law took effect four days after the bills were introduced. Polis and Blumenauer, whose home states were the first two with legal markets, had filed earlier versions in 2013. The 2015 pair was the clearest version yet of the “treat it like alcohol” model.
What Happened Next
The Republican-controlled House never took the bills up. Neither received a committee hearing or vote, and both expired in January 2017. On March 30, 2017, Polis reintroduced the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act as H.R. 1841 and Blumenauer filed a revised tax bill, the Marijuana Revenue and Regulation Act (H.R. 1823). Polis left Congress and became governor of Colorado in January 2019.
Descheduling plus a federal tax, the core of the 2015 pair, became the template for the MORE Act, which passed the House in 2020 and 2022 but stalled in the Senate. Our overview of federal marijuana legalization bills since 2011 traces that history bill by bill.
Where It Stands in 2026
Congress has still not removed marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act. Change has come through the executive branch instead: an April 2026 Justice Department and DEA order moved FDA-approved marijuana products and marijuana held under a state medical license to Schedule III, while adult-use marijuana remains in Schedule I. A broader DEA rescheduling hearing was stayed on September 29, 2026. Our federal marijuana laws guide tracks the details, and our state cannabis laws page covers what is legal where you live.
Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act FAQ
What was the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act?
H.R. 1013, introduced by Rep. Jared Polis on February 20, 2015, would have removed marijuana from federal drug schedules, moved enforcement from the DEA to the ATF and regulated the industry through federal permits modeled on alcohol law.
Did the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act pass?
No. It never received a hearing or vote and expired when the 114th Congress ended in January 2017. Polis reintroduced it in 2017 as H.R. 1841, which also did not pass.
What tax did the Marijuana Tax Revenue Act propose?
A federal excise tax on producers’ sales starting at 10% and rising to 25% over five years, plus an annual occupational tax of $1,000 or $500 on marijuana businesses. Medical marijuana was exempt.
Originally reported by The Weed Street Journal; rewritten and updated in October 2026 with what happened next.