In a draught discussion bill unveiled on July 14th, Senators Cory Booker, Ron Wyden, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer outlined their plan to legalise, control, and regulate marijuana and the cannabis industry in a post-prohibition America. More information about their idea can be found here, along with NORML’s summary of the proposal and comments on it.
This is the first time a group of Senate leaders have openly stated their intention to bring legislation to the Upper Chamber’s floor that would eliminate the federal prohibition of cannabis.
To make sure that your senators will cooperate with this alliance to advance this crucial legislation, kindly send a note to them right away. Members of the House traditionally voted to pass legislation (The MORE Act) abolishing the federal marijuana prohibition in the last days of the 116th Congress. It’s time to capitalise on this momentum and cooperate with the Senate leadership to move identical legislation through the Upper Chamber and ultimately to the President’s desk.
The American War on Drugs, According to Schumer on Thursday, “has Been a War on People, and Notably People of Colour.”
By removing cannabis from the federal list of restricted narcotics, ensuring public health and safety, and expunging the criminal records of people who commit minor cannabis infractions, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act will be a catalyst for change, according to Schumer. “Now that the majority of Americans favour legalising marijuana, Congress ought to take action by working to stop decades of excessive prohibition
It is time to lift the federal ban on marijuana.” Schumer, however, has an uphill struggle because of vehement resistance from members from states with pro-cannabis laws, like South Dakota and Montana.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, said to Politico, “I reject it.” “The people of Montana have determined that they want it to be legal in our state, and for that reason, I support the SAFE Banking Act as well. It’s the proper thing to do, but I don’t favour federal legalisation.”
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37 States Have Medicinal Marijuana Programmes, and 19 States Permit Recreational Marijuana Sales.
Tuesday’s meeting will “explore decriminalising cannabis at the federal level, emphasising essential steps to redress past harms,” according to the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on crime and terrorism, which is chaired by Booker.
Booker has long advocated for the decriminalisation of marijuana and put out legislation to do so in 2017. He has publicly opposed such regulations on the grounds that they disproportionately affect minorities.
According to Booker, “they don’t make our communities any safer; instead, they divert crucial resources from combating violent crimes, rip families apart, unfairly affect low-income neighbourhoods and communities of colour, and waste billions of taxpayer dollars every year.”
The Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act, which would permit banks to provide services to cannabis firms without making any conditions for social justice reform, is one of the leaner marijuana legislation that Booker has rejected.
In order to remedy this unfair system, he said, “de-scheduling marijuana and applying that adjustment retroactively to persons now serving time for marijuana offences is vital.”
Schumer Continues to Prioritise Keeping Social Justice Reform in The Law.
According to Schumer’s comments to Politico, “We’d certainly listen to some suggestions if that’ll bring more folks on board.” That is not to suggest that we will disregard issues like record expungement, which is crucial to us, or other issues of a similar nature just because some people don’t like it. Not everyone in the cannabis sector shares Schumer’s optimism.
Todd Harrison, the head of the cannabis-focused investment company CB1 Capital, said in a statement: “This comes after he promised and failed to deliver the law in April, and after he put out a ‘discussion draught’ way back in July 2021.” We believe the current form of the measure has little likelihood of passing.
