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| The MORE Act | |
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Dear Neighbor, |
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| The debate over marijuana decriminalization is not new. Supporters tout the health benefits of cannabis and detractors worry cannabis is a gateway to heavier drug use and more dangerous crime. I am a firm believer in publicly policy that is driven by science and data. I believe significant scientific research is desperately needed in this debate in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes made during the War on Drugs when marijuana was foolishly classified as a Schedule I drug. But I also believe that this is much more than a question of public health or law enforcement. The War on Drugs has devastated poor communities and communities of color for decades. It has crowded our jails and prisons with men and women of color who've been arrested and imprisoned for committing even the most minor, first-time marijuana offenses. In Virginia, Black people are 3.4 times more likely than white people to be arrested, for marijuana possession. And marijuana possession arrests accounted for 52 percent of all drug arrests in the Commonwealth. Reversing the harm caused by the War on Drugs is among the defining civil rights issues of our time. The MORE Act is a forward-looking bill that seeks to end the perpetuation of this injustice by removing marijuana from Schedule I and the Controlled Substances Act altogether, thereby decriminalizing it at the Federal level. But, importantly, the legislation does not ignore the past. In fact, the bill seeks to rectify the damage done to those who have already been harmed by the War on Drugs. The MORE Act would establish an Opportunity Trust Fund within the Department of Treasury to fund programs to empower communities of color and those adversely impacted by the War on Drugs. These programs would provide services to individuals, including job training, reentry services and substance use disorder services; provide funds for loans to assist small businesses that are owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals; and provide resources for programs that minimize barriers to marijuana licensing and employment for individuals adversely impacted by the War on Drugs. Public support for the decriminalization of marijuana has surged over the past two decades. In the most recent Pew Research Center poll—which was released at the end of 2019—67 percent of Americans now back marijuana legalization, up from 62 percent in Pew’s 2018 poll. And just this November, there were ballot measures pertaining to marijuana in several states; they were all approved by voters. Indeed, federal action on this issue would follow the growing recognition in the states that the status quo is unacceptable. Despite the federal government’s continuing criminalization of marijuana, 36 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical cannabis. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for adult recreational use. And remember: no empirical study has ever presented evidence to justify marijuana’s designation as a Schedule I drug alongside inarguably more dangerous substances, like heroin. The states are ready. The American people are ready. And, now, the US House of Representatives is ready to decriminalize cannabis. We must right this wrong.
Member of Congress |
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