US Marijuana Legalization Bill Would End 'War On Weed'

A U.S. senator has introduced a bill that would end the federal prohibition on marijuana, remove cannabis from its place alongside other drugs like cocaine and heroin on the list of controlled substances, and help those already serving time behind bars for pot-related offenses to get a judicial review of their sentences.

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, introduced the “Marijuana Justice Act” via Facebook Live, calling it a bill that would remedy many of the failures of the War on Drugs.

“For decades, the failed War on Drugs has locked up millions of nonviolent drug offenders — especially for marijuana-related offenses — at an incredible cost of lost human potential, torn apart families and communities, and taxpayer dollars,” Booker said. “The effects of the drug war have had a disproportionately devastating impact on Americans of color and the poor. This is the right thing to do for public safety and will help reduce our overflowing prison population.”

According to Booker, the Marijuana Justice Act will:

• Remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances, making it legal at the federal level
• Incentivize states through federal funds to change their marijuana laws if marijuana in the state is illegal and the state disproportionately arrests or incarcerates low-income individuals and people of color for marijuana-related offenses
• Automatically expunge federal marijuana use and possession crimes
• Allow an individual currently serving time in federal prison for marijuana use or possession crimes to petition a court for a resentencing

Booker said that the bill would also create a fund to “reinvest in communities most impacted by the failed War on Drugs.” Those funds would be put into in the following programs:

• Job training
• Reentry services
• Expenses related to the expungement of convictions
• Public libraries
• Community centers
• Programs and opportunities dedicated to youth
• Health education programs

AN UPHILL BATTLE

While Booker was optimistic about the bill’s chances of navigating the legislative gauntlet, he said during his Facebook Live announcement that as of Tuesday, there are no cosponsors to the proposed law.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an outspoken critic of marijuana reform, has said that he will prosecute anyone involved in the industry, whether that be the owners of dispensaries or just people who do business with them.

"Good people don't smoke marijuana," Sessions said during a Senate hearing in April.

• See related article: Jeff Sessions On Marijuana: 'Won't Commit' To Obama Policy
• See related article: Can Jeff Sessions End Recreational Marijuana In Washington?

In Booker’s home state of New Jersey, the state’s immensely unpopular outgoing governor, Chris Christie, has gone on the offensive against marijuana legalization, calling the effort to end pot prohibition “stupid.”

• See related article: Christie Calls N.J. Marijuana Legalization ‘Stupid’

LEGALIZE IT

According to a Gallup poll released on July 19, about 45 percent of Americans say they have tried marijuana at least once, a new high in Gallup's trend since 1969.

The rise in use over the past five decades has paralleled an increasing support for legalization, Gallup stated. In 2016, about 60 percent of Americans said pot should be legal, a record high.

The eight states that currently allow recreational marijuana combine to make up more than 20 percent of the U.S. population, Gallup stated.

• See related article: 4/20 Legal Marijuana Quinnipiac Poll Hits New High of Support
• See related article: Marijuana Legalization Support Reaches Record Highs, Poll Says

Several cannabis advocates expressed support for the concept of legalization following Booker’s announcement.

“The question is no longer ‘should we legalize marijuana?’… it’s ‘how do we legalize marijuana?’”posited Queen Adesuyi, policy associate at the nonprofit Drug Policy Alliance.

"This bill is the most ambitious marijuana bill we have seen in Congress,” Adesuyi said. “Uniquely, it recognizes the fact that people of color have borne the brunt of the failed war on drugs and seeks to repair the damage done. We applaud Senator Booker for his leadership on this issue.”

“Ending federal marijuana prohibition would bring the law in line with the opinion of the growing majority of Americans who want states to be able to enact their own marijuana laws without harassment by the DEA,” said attorney Shaleen Title, a founding board member of the Minority Cannabis Business Association and founder of THC Staffing Group.

• See related article: Marijuana Patients Offer Human Side To Weed Debate

Evan Nison, the executive director for NORML New Jersey, said that he was thrilled to see a senator from his home state take the lead on marijuana reform.

“With [Governor Chris Christie] in office, New Jersey has lagged behind the rest of the country and our own citizens when it comes to cannabis policy,” Nison told Patch. “With Booker in the senate and a likely incoming supportive governor, New Jersey is quickly turning into an East Coast leader on this issue.”

Jonathan Fruchter, founder of The World Cannabis Club, U.S. Navy veteran and cannabis advocate, told Patch that the bill would benefit veterans and their right to access marijuana through the federal VA health care system.

“I myself have two felonies on my record for providing patients with the life-saving medicine that I feel everyone has the god-given right to have access to,” Fruchter said. “This bill is joy to my ears knowing that one day I can possibly get my cannabis charges expunged off my record.”

However, Fruchter added that the bill shouldn’t be used as a cloak for full recreational legalization.

“I still believe that this medicine should be treated as such and continue to be dispensed through the medical system and still be prescribed by doctors licensed by their respective states,” he said.

Ken Wolski of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey said that the group is supportive of efforts to legalize marijuana nationally by changing federal law.

"The federal government’s position on marijuana — total denial that marijuana has any medical benefits — is an embarrassment to science, to countless health care professionals and to patients nationwide," Wolski told Patch. "But worst of all, the federal government has blocked the path of inquiry into the benefits of medical marijuana. They refuse to allow large-scale clinical testing. They have systematically and consistently prevented the kind of studies that would lead to FDA approval, and then they — and their apologists — complain that the FDA has not approved it."

"This exaggeration of the dangers of marijuana and denial of its medical benefits is a big lie because it is told over and over again, most compellingly by our government, and this big lie is the basis for the current draconian penalties," he added.

Send feedback and news tips to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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