Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., sponsored the "R

Rep.  Dana Rohrabacher , R-Calif., sponsored the "Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013," which would prevent the federal government from prosecuting state residents whose possession of marijuana is in accord with state law. The bill would legalize marijuana at the federal level to the extent it is legal at the state level.

Besides being a signatory on Rohrabacher's bill, Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., introduced the "End Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013," which would remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, placing its regulation under a revamped Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Firearms and Explosives.

Reps.  Earl Blumenauer , D-Ore., also a co-sponsor of the Rohrabacher initiative, introduced the "Marijuana Tax Equity Act," which would establish a federal excise tax for marijuana sales, similar to the so-called sin tax on alcohol.

"We need to see laws change at the federal level, but states traditionally have been able to decide how to handle these types of issues, just like with alcohol," Tvert said, noting that there were hundreds of marijuana production and distribution entities regulated in states where its use is permitted.