--- title: Sen. Wyden Introduces Bill to Federally Legalize Marijuana description: The bills name is a nod to a weed smoking holiday April 20 canonical: https://time.com/5525893/420-bill-legalize-marijuana-wyden/ author: Gina Martinez article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-02-09T16:29:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:56.561Z article:section: Politics og:title: Sen. Wyden Seeks to Legalize Marijuana on a Federal Level With Introduction of S. 420 Bill og:description: "Too many lives have been wasted and too many economic opportunities have been missed" og:url: https://time.com/5525893/420-bill-legalize-marijuana-wyden/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt379262e2e1efc295/6988f530929fad85dabeedd7/gettyimages-672213679.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4272 og:image:height: 2403 og:image:alt: Close-Up Of Weed Porn In Mason Jar On Table og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Sen. Wyden Seeks to Legalize Marijuana on a Federal Level With Introduction of S. 420 Bill twitter:description: "Too many lives have been wasted and too many economic opportunities have been missed" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt379262e2e1efc295/6988f530929fad85dabeedd7/gettyimages-672213679.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Sen. Wyden Seeks to Legalize Marijuana on a Federal Level With Introduction of S. 420 Bill > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Marijuana Did Well on the Ballot Tuesday [Watch (HLS stream): Marijuana Did Well on the Ballot Tuesday](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Lr6S3nO4.m3u8) (1:02)  _Published 2018-11-07. Michigan voted to approve a ballot measure, making it the first state in the Midwest to approve recreational usage for adults, joining nine other states and the District of Columbia._ by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Feb 9, 2019 4:29 PM UTC  Getty Images by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Feb 9, 2019 4:29 PM UTC Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon introduced the appropriately-named bill S. 420 on Thursday, that would legalize and regulate marijuana on a federal level. The [Marijuana Revenue and Regulation Act,](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/420) introduced into the Senate Finance Committee, of which Wyden is the Ranking Member, seeks to de-schedule marijuana by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), establish a federal excise tax on legal sales and create a system of permits for businesses to engage in cannabis commerce. On Twitter Friday, Wyden called the federal prohibition of marijuana wrong and said his bill would “bring our country’s marijuana policies into the 21st century.” “Too many lives have been wasted and too many economic opportunities have been missed,” the senator tweeted Friday. “It’s time for Congress to respect the will of the voters in Oregon and nationwide, who are demanding common-sense drug policies.” > [](https://twitter.com/RonWyden/status/1093920102326493185) The measure is one of three bills included in a broader package called [“The Path to Marijuana Reform”](https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/020619%20Path%20to%20Marijuana%20Reform%20Executive%20Summary.pdf), brought to the Senate and the House of Representatives by Wyden and Democratic Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer. According to the package’s summary, the three bills aim to “pave the way for responsible federal regulation of the legal marijuana industry, and provide certainty for state-legal marijuana businesses which operate in nearly every state in the U.S.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5525893/420-bill-legalize-marijuana-wyden/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5525893/420-bill-legalize-marijuana-wyden/"},"headline":"Sen. 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