Last week, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act, giving hope to advocates of marijuana legalization that 2019 might finally be the year the federal government faces reality on the issue. The states have led the way on the legalization front for years, with recreational marijuana legal in 10 states and medical marijuana legal in 33. Yet, Washington has dragged its heels, with cannabis still treated as a Schedule I drug by the DEA, creating a legal quagmire.

The STATES Act would help fix this by forcing the federal government to recognize the legality of marijuana in states that have legalized it. This is a good first step; however, the bill still leaves a lot to be desired. The STATES Act comes nowhere close to full-fledged federal legalization and would not fix ongoing problems weed faces with banking and crossing state borders.