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Let’s Make Sure Compassion is Too.

Candidates running for federal office are publicly committing to advance a national medical cannabis program by signing the Compassionate Pledge — sending a clear signal to voters about how they will approach medical cannabis policy when they arrive in Washington, D.C.

Medical cannabis is no longer a fringe issue or a state-level experiment.

Millions of Americans rely on cannabis medicines to manage serious health conditions, including chronic pain, epilepsy, PTSD, cancer symptoms, and rare diseases. This progress exists because states acted. Across the country, state medical cannabis programs have emerged through decades of advocacy, research, and voter action. These programs were built to serve patients with compassion, allowing healthcare providers to incorporate cannabis medicines into care.

Those efforts changed the national conversation. State medical cannabis programs generated research, created regulatory structures, and produced the evidence federal agencies needed to recognize that cannabis has accepted medical use.

Today, access to medical cannabis still depends on geography, politics, and outdated federal rules. Patients who follow state law lack consistent federal protections. Researchers face unnecessary barriers. Regulatory gaps create instability for patients and healthcare providers alike.

Federal agencies now acknowledge that cannabis does not fit neatly within existing drug or consumer regulatory systems. Even if federal classification changes, patients may still lack clear protections, consistent access, and pathways for programs to evolve. State programs proved what is possible, but they were never meant to be the final destination.

The next Congress will decide whether federal policy builds on the foundation states created — strengthening protections, advancing research, and establishing a modern, patient-centered regulatory framework that integrates cannabis into American healthcare — or whether progress stalls under outdated structures that no longer reflect medical reality.

Medical cannabis is now part of our national healthcare landscape — making it an election issue in 2026.

That is why Americans for Safe Access launched the Compassionate Candidate Campaign: to ensure medical cannabis policy is addressed clearly and directly by those seeking federal office.

The Compassionate Pledge is at the center of the campaign, giving candidates a way to publicly commit to:

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  Co-sponsoring comprehensive legislation to establish a national medical cannabis program within the Department of Health and Human Services — including an Office of Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoid Control — that builds on state programs and establishes a new federal schedule for cannabis and cannabinoids.

• Publicly advocating for medical cannabis patients and a national framework.

• Using congressional leadership and oversight authority to advance research, product safety, and healthcare integration.

The pledge does more than outline policy positions. It creates accountability. It gives voters a clear way to evaluate candidates. And it gives patient advocates the backing of a national movement when they ask their candidates to commit.

Voters nationwide are calling for Medical Cannabis Champions in Congress. The pledge provides patient advocates with a clear standard for evaluating whether candidates seeking federal office are committed to advancing medical cannabis policy, and the power of a national movement behind them when they ask candidates to commit.

The countdown to the next Congress has begun. Join the Compassionate Candidate Campaign to make Election 2026 count for patients!