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On July 13, 2021, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks with media after the Senate Democrats’ weekly policy lunch at the US Capitol in Washington. Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer submitted legislation to legalize marijuana at the federal level on Wednesday, a move aimed at loosening harsh drug rules that disproportionately affect people of color and the poor. The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act would declassify marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and establish cannabis-related taxation regulations. The idea would allow nonviolent cannabis offenders to have their federal records expunged and persons serving time in federal prison for nonviolent marijuana offenses to ask a court for resentencing. “This is historic. Finally, in the Senate, we are taking steps to rectify the wrongs of the failed drug war “During a press conference at the Capitol, Schumer, D-N.Y., remarked. Schumer, along with Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, and Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., introduced the draft. According to a draft of the law, the idea would also create an Opportunity Trust Fund using fresh cannabis tax income to invest in programs for areas most harmed by the “failed War on Drugs.” The idea to decriminalize marijuana will almost certainly face opposition in the Senate, as it is opposed by Republicans and some moderate Democrats, and President Joe Biden has not endorsed it. To carry it in the Senate, Schumer will need 60 votes, including at least 10 Republican votes. So far, 37 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for medical use, while 18 states and the District of Columbia have allowed adult recreational use of the drug. The drug, however, is still unlawful under federal law. According to public polling, approximately 70% of Americans favor legalizing marijuana. “Our federal government has conducted a War on Drugs for decades that has disproportionately impacted low-income and minority communities,” Booker said in a statement. “While red and blue states continue to legalize marijuana, the federal government remains woefully behind. It’s past time for Congress to repeal the federal prohibition on marijuana and reinvest in the communities hardest hit by the failed War on Drugs.”/nRead More

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