The War on Drugs isn’t a battle against narcotics… it’s a war on people, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker says.
On Thursday, Booker, a Democratic lawmaker from New Jersey, joined forces with two congressional colleagues from California to reintroduce the Marijuana Justice Act, which would end the federal prohibition on cannabis.
Here’s what the bill would do if it becomes law, according to Booker and House co-sponsors U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA):
“Beyond removing marijuana from the list of controlled substances – making it legal at the federal level – the bill would also automatically expunge the convictions of those who have served federal time for marijuana use and possession offenses, and it would reinvest in the communities most impacted by the failed War on Drugs through a community fund. This community reinvestment fund could be used for projects like job training programs, re-entry services, and community centers… The bill would also incentivize states through the use of federal funds to change their marijuana laws if those laws were shown to have a disproportionate effect on low-income individuals and/or people of color.”
According to its sponsors, the bill is retroactive and would apply to those already serving time behind bars for marijuana-related offenses.
Read the full text here.
The potential law has been introduced in both chambers of Congress. In the Senate, the bill is cosponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Michael Bennet (D-CO).
Sen. Booker introduced the first incarnation of the Marijuana Justice Act in 2017.
“The War on Drugs has not been a war on drugs, it’s been a war on people, and disproportionately people of color and low-income individuals,” Booker said.
Booker, who announced he’s running for president in 2020 earlier this month, added that it’s not enough to simply decriminalize marijuana.
“We must also repair the damage caused by reinvesting in those communities that have been most harmed by the War on Drugs,” Booker emphasized. “And we must expunge the records of those who have served their time. The end we seek is not just legalization, it’s justice.”
“I’ve met countless good people who couldn’t find a job, couldn’t find a decent place to live, and couldn’t support their family because they had a criminal record for doing something less serious than two of the last three presidents of the United States have admitted to doing,” the senator added. “This is wrong and must change.”
The battle over legalized weed is raging in Booker’s home state of New Jersey, where efforts are underway to legalize recreational marijuana.
Earlier this month, Gov. Phil Murphy and Senate President Steve Sweeney reportedly reached an agreement that will pave the way toward legalization in the Garden State. However, the battle over how to tax cannabis – the state would impose a flat rate of $42 per ounce under the current proposal – is dragging out the process of legalizing weed in New Jersey, which was a major campaign promise for Murphy in 2018.
“Communities of color and low-income communities have been devastated by the War on Drugs,” Lee said. “As co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, I’m proud to sponsor legislation that would legalize marijuana at the federal level, address the disproportionate impact of prohibition on people of color by expunging criminal convictions, and promote equitable participation in the legal marijuana industry by investing in the communities hardest hit by the failed War on Drugs.”
“Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by misguided marijuana policy for far too long,” Khanna said. “Rep. Lee, Sen. Booker, and I are proud to introduce this important legislation and deliver justice for so many Americans.”
Sen. Warren said that she was proud to co-sponsor the bill.
“It’s time to legalize marijuana and stand against an unjust criminal justice system,” Warren wrote on Twitter.
Writing in support of the Marijuana Justice Act, Sen. Sanders said that 600,000 people, “disproportionately people of color,” were arrested for possession of cannabis in 2017.
“It is time to decriminalize marijuana, expunge past marijuana convictions and end the failed War on Drugs,” Sanders stated.
However, the potential law also got its fair share of criticism from internet pundits. Seen online:
Diane Calello, executive and medical director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center, said that any time a new drug has been introduced to the public – including recreational cannabis – poison control centers have consistently reported an increase in poison exposures from that drug in adults and children.
“Many of these exposures arise from edible marijuana products, which may look enticing to young children and cause serious consequences,” Calello said. “Exposure to marijuana edibles also drive hospitalizations in adults– either because the adult does not realize the product contains a high concentration of THC, or because they decide to ‘dose-stack’ or eat the product too quickly. Any legislation should consider how to avert such exposures – such as requiring packaging that is child resistant and does not look child-friendly; warning labels which clearly state ‘THC – Not Safe for Children,’ responsible marketing practices and dose and pack size limitations.”
Lewis Nelson, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said that although there are many reasons to consider legalizing the recreational use of cannabis, they have to be placed in context with “the known liabilities” of marijuana.
“Clearly it is the lesser of two evils when compared to opioids for either medical or recreational use, but it is not the risk free drug that some advocates are suggesting,” Nelson warned. “There are both acute and long-term effects, both medical and psychological, that accrue from the use of cannabis, and while the upside of tax revenue and social justice are hard to ignore, the social and individual consequences, and possibility of injury and addiction, should not be ignored either.”
‘A PATH FORWARD’
Cannabis advocacy nonprofit National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) offered high praise for the bill on Thursday.
“The Marijuana Justice Act is the most comprehensive piece of federal legislation ever introduced to end the failed policy of marijuana prohibition,” NORML Political Director Justin Strekal said.
“This robust legislation not only removes marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, but it also provides a path forward for the individuals and communities that have been most disproportionately impacted by our nation’s failed war on marijuana consumers,” Strekal continued.
Strekal said that it’s time for U.S. lawmakers to take on the status quo when it comes to marijuana.
“It is time to stop ceding control of the marijuana market to untaxed criminal enterprises, and for lawmakers to amend federal law in a manner that comports with available science, public opinion, and the rapidly changing cultural status of cannabis,” Strekal charged.
According to NORML, 33 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico have enacted legislation specific to the physician-authorized use of cannabis. An estimated 25 percent of Americans now reside in jurisdictions where anyone over the age of 21 may possess cannabis legally.
The enactment of these policies have not negatively impacted workplace safety, crime rates, traffic safety, or youth use patterns. Instead, they have “stimulated economic development and created hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue,” NORML states.
About 66 percent of Americans – including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independent voters – believe that “the use of marijuana should be made legal,” according to 2018 polling data compiled by Gallup.
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