Our Focus Is Action
Project Champion, led by former NFL stars Ricky Williams, Jim McMahon, and Kyle Turley, is dedicated to advancing cannabis legalization through focused advocacy and education. On this page, you will find expanded explanations of each of our organizational priorities, detailing our efforts to promote legislative change, support community initiatives, and champion the benefits of cannabis for health and wellness.
Priority:
Stopping The Hemp Ban
Protecting Farmers, Businesses, and States’ Rights
The new funding bill to reopen the government includes a surprise provision that effectively bans hemp-derived products nationwide—an abrupt and devastating policy shift that threatens farmers, retailers, veterans, medical patients, and thousands of small businesses. This decision, made behind closed doors and without public debate, undermines years of bipartisan progress on hemp and disregards the will of the states that legally regulate and oversee these products.
Project Champion strongly opposes this federal overreach. The ban jeopardizes American agriculture, eliminates thousands of small businesses, and pushes consumers back to unsafe, unregulated markets. We are working with athletes, veterans, and bipartisan allies to reverse this harmful language and restore the states’ rights and economic opportunities that hemp legalization was built upon.
Priority:
STATES Act 2.0
Respecting States’ Rights and Modernizing Federal Cannabis Law
The STATES Act 2.0 offers a bipartisan, common-sense fix to the conflict between federal and state cannabis laws. Led by Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH), the bill ensures that individuals and businesses acting legally under state cannabis programs are no longer treated as federal criminals. It removes state-regulated cannabis activity from the Controlled Substances Act, provides relief from the punitive IRS 280E tax code, and sets clear roles for federal agencies like the FDA and TTB.
By upholding states’ rights and creating long-overdue regulatory clarity, the STATES Act allows legal markets to operate safely and transparently—without federal interference. Project Champion supports this legislation because it brings fairness, stability, and modern policy to millions of Americans living in states with cannabis laws on the books.
Priority:
SAFE Banking
The Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act would provide safe harbor for financial institutions and other ancillary businesses that work with cannabis industry clients, thus increasing the industry’s access to traditional financial services like loans and deposit accounts. SAFE passed through committee in September but has not yet been sent to the floor for a full vote.
Priority:
Rescheduling
Rescheduling Cannabis from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3
For decades, the federal government has categorized cannabis as a Schedule I substance, labeling it as having a “high potential for abuse” and “no currently accepted medical use in treatment” in the United States. However, fifty years after the Controlled Substances Act grouped marijuana with heroin and LSD regarding its perceived dangers, the era of cannabis being one of the most incongruously restricted substances in the nation may be coming to an end.
The Department of Health & Human Services has recommended to the Drug Enforcement Agency that cannabis be reclassified from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. According to the DEA, Schedule III drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. Schedule III drugs abuse potential is less than Schedule I and Schedule II drugs but more than Schedule IV. Some examples of Schedule III drugs are: products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (Tylenol with codeine), ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone.
The reclassification would also ease some of the restrictions on studying the drug and would provide relief to cannabis operators from the punitive IRS tax code 280E.
Priority:
Legalizing Adult-Use Cannabis in Pennsylvania
Creating a Legal, Regulated Market for Cannabis in PA
Pennsylvania has the opportunity to move forward with responsible cannabis legalization, bringing economic growth, public safety benefits, and criminal justice reform to the state. However, without action from lawmakers, we risk falling behind while neighboring states reap the benefits of a regulated cannabis industry.
Currently, Pennsylvania operates under a medical-only cannabis framework, while states like New York, New Jersey, and Maryland have fully legalized adult-use markets. As a result, Pennsylvanians are crossing state lines to purchase cannabis elsewhere, sending millions in tax revenue and business opportunities to other states instead of investing in local businesses, jobs, and communities.
A legal framework would replace the illicit market, keeping products safe, preventing contamination, and ensuring that consumers know exactly what they’re purchasing. Legalization also allows for age restrictions, responsible marketing practices, and strict regulations, preventing youth access and prioritizing public health and safety.