RE:RE:the dreaded slippery slopeSliding upwards for 'reform'.
Black people are more likely than white people to be arrested for cannabis possession. For example, a 2021 analysis of marijuana-related arrests in 2020 in New York City’s five boroughs reported that people of color comprised 94 percent of those arrested.
These injustices are precisely why we must ensure that restorative justice is the starting point of any cannabis reform legislation, not an afterthought.
With this fundamental belief in mind, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and I announced a discussion draft of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act last fall.
Incorporating elements of landmark legislation I introduced back in 2017, along with cannabis reform provisions championed by Senator Wyden and Senate Majority Leader Schumer,
--->our proposed bill would remove the federal prohibition on cannabis, expunge federal non-violent cannabis crimes, and reinvest funds into communities that are languishing under the weight of prior criminal convictions, erosion of employment prospects, and denial of basic social services.
The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act provides America with the chance to reverse decades of unjust and discriminatory drug policy. It’s also historic; with the support of Senator Schumer, this is the first time a Senate leader has called for ending the federal ban on cannabis. In fact, there is a concerted effort emerging in the Senate, supported by members on both sides of the aisle, to legalize cannabis federally.
With the progress we have made and the promising moment we find ourselves in, there is no better political climate than now to pursue comprehensive cannabis reform, which is why we plan to introduce the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act next month. The legislation’s focus on restorative and racial justice will help to right the past wrongs of our nation’s failed drug policies and close a painful chapter of the war on drugs.
At the same time, our bill also forges a path forward on securing economic justice for minority small business owners who are looking to gain a foothold in the burgeoning cannabis industry.