Chuck Schumer Praises Marijuana Law Reform, Claims It Will End 'Harmful And Failed War On Drugs'

4 months ago

During remarks on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke about marijuana law reform.

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00:00decades, millions of Americans, most often Americans of color, have had their lives derailed

00:07and destroyed by our country's failed war on drugs. The consequences of this harmful campaign

00:14linger on to this very day. So I was pleased by yesterday's news that the DEA under the Biden

00:20administration is preparing to take a truly historic step rescheduling cannabis from a

00:27Schedule 1 substance to a Schedule 3 substance under the Controlled Substance Act. Reclassifying

00:33cannabis is a necessary and long overdue step, but it is not at all the end of the story.

00:41It's time for Congress to wake up to the times and do its part by passing the cannabis reform

00:47that most Americans have long called for. It's past time for Congress to catch up with public

00:53opinion and to catch up with the science. So today I'm proud to join with my colleagues,

00:59Senators Booker and Wyden, to reintroduce the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act,

01:04a comprehensive and necessary update to the federal government's approach to cannabis.

01:12I am proud to be the first majority leader ever to call for an end to the marijuana prohibition

01:17because I've seen both the consequences of outdated drug laws and the benefits of

01:22common-sense cannabis regulation at the state level. And it's time for Congress to follow suit.

01:28Support for cannabis reform is growing in the Senate. Our bill now has 18 sponsors,

01:34the most ever for this bill. And we'll keep working to build more support

01:45because when liberals and we'll keep working to build more support because when liberals

01:50and conservatives and activists and entrepreneurs and veterans groups can all come together on one

01:55issue, that's a clear sign the momentum's real. I'm very proud of the bill we're releasing today.

02:01Our legislation will finally remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances.

02:06It will expunge the criminal records of so many Americans with low-level marijuana offenses

02:12that haunt them, inhibit them for decades. And it will help our country close the book once

02:18and for all on the awful and harmful and failed war on drugs, which all too often has been nothing

02:24more than a war on Americans of color. In short, our bill is about individual freedom and basic

02:32fairness. We cannot tolerate any longer the tragedy of a young person getting arrested

02:37because they have a small amount of marijuana in their pocket.

02:41For years, that's all it took, getting caught with a little bit of marijuana for you to get

02:46saddled with a serious criminal record that prevented you from getting a good job, buying a

02:51home, getting ahead in life. And of course, this injustice happens predominantly in black and Latino

02:58communities. That's unfair. It's un-American. And our bill would right this grave wrong.

03:04And in place of the war on drugs, our bill would lay the foundation for something very different.

03:08A just and responsible and common-sense approach to cannabis regulation. It would call for new

03:14guidelines on how marijuana products are labeled, require new standards to prevent impaired

03:19driving, require HHS and NIH to support research into cannabis' health aspects, and more.

03:25Our bill, if passed, would close the door on outdated and very harmful modes of thinking at

03:31the federal level, while allowing for reform and sensible regulation of cannabis and marijuana

03:37to take root. So again, I want to thank Senators Booker and Wyden for being terrific partners in

03:44putting this bill together. It's been a long-standing effort, one that's required a lot

03:48of feedback from the public and a lot of perseverance. As Senate Majority Leader,

03:55I will continue to push for every chance we get to bring cannabis policy into the 21st century,

04:02and passing our bill would be an excellent way to make that happen.

Chuck Schumer Praises Marijuana Law Reform, Claims It Will End 'Harmful And Failed War On Drugs'

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