“Legal marijuana is coming, it’s just around the corner!”
How many times have you heard some form of this statement?
While the current iteration of Congress has attempted to pass legislation of Marijuana reform in various forms, very little outside of lip service has been accomplished. From the MORE Act, the SAFE Banking Act, and the most recently introduced draft of the CAOA, there has been a flurry of activity, but next to nothing to show for it.
However, that might soon change. On February 4, 2022, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer publicly declared that he and his team are prioritizing getting federal marijuana reform on the Senate floor within the coming months, with an April 2022 target.
It should be distinguished that Schumer’s plan does not call to legalize marijuana on a federal level, but it does call for the federal decriminalization of marijuana, which would be a universal step in the right direction and potentially easier to garner the ever elusive bipartisan support needed to pass it.
On average, the enforcement of current marijuana possession laws costs taxpayers $3.6 billion a year, yet there has been no reduction in the use, prevalence, or availability of the plant. Not to mention the disparate impact that marijuana laws have on people of color, with Black individuals being 3.73 times more likely to face arrest for marijuana possession over white individuals. This isn’t new information, we have known the failed efforts of the war on drugs…
Original Author Link click here to read complete story..
“Legal marijuana is coming, it’s just around the corner!”
How many times have you heard some form of this statement?
While the current iteration of Congress has attempted to pass legislation of Marijuana reform in various forms, very little outside of lip service has been accomplished. From the MORE Act, the SAFE Banking Act, and the most recently introduced draft of the CAOA, there has been a flurry of activity, but next to nothing to show for it.
However, that might soon change. On February 4, 2022, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer publicly declared that he and his team are prioritizing getting federal marijuana reform on the Senate floor within the coming months, with an April 2022 target.
It should be distinguished that Schumer’s plan does not call to legalize marijuana on a federal level, but it does call for the federal decriminalization of marijuana, which would be a universal step in the right direction and potentially easier to garner the ever elusive bipartisan support needed to pass it.
On average, the enforcement of current marijuana possession laws costs taxpayers $3.6 billion a year, yet there has been no reduction in the use, prevalence, or availability of the plant. Not to mention the disparate impact that marijuana laws have on people of color, with Black individuals being 3.73 times more likely to face arrest for marijuana possession over white individuals. This isn’t new information, we have known the failed efforts of the war on drugs…
