Bong hits and joint puffs may soon be legal nationwide if draft legislation introduced Wednesday by Senate Democrats is ultimately successful.
This legislation, proposed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats in the Senate, would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level by removing it from federal controlled substances list, said CNN.
It would also expunge non-violent criminal records related to marijuana, said Politico.
“It's significant for a Senate majority leader to back such a measure and the move highlights the evolving politics of cannabis policy,” according to the CNN. Schumer has even said he plans to make this legislation a priority.
“This is monumental because at long last we are taking steps in the Senate to right the wrongs of the failed war on drugs,” said Schumer. A decade ago, a Global Commission on Drug Policy report found that the war on drugs, an initiative of former President Richard Nixon’s administration, had failed.
“Vast expenditures on criminalization and repressive measures directed at producers, traffickers and consumers of illegal drugs have clearly failed to effectively curtail supply or consumption,” said the report.
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According to Forbes, an estimated 40,000 Americans are currently incarcerated for marijuana-related offenses. However, as of June 30, marijuana is legal in 18 states, Washington D.C. and Guam, said to U.S. News & World Report. Colorado was the first state to legalize marijuana in 2012.
In some states – such as Illinois, where cannabis was legal as of Jan. 1, 2020 – equity is a focus of their programs. Despite its focus, minorities have been left of Illinois’ billion-dollar industry, according to NBC 5 in Chicago.
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Democratic senators also emphasized that equity is an important piece of their efforts with the recent proposal, said CNN.
“Communities of color have paid such an awful price for the historical overcriminalization of marijuana that we want to make sure the money goes back to them,” Schumer said.
CNN said that the proposed federal legislation, like most legislation in the Senate, would require the votes of at least 10 Republicans to pass. Schumer said he is not considering adding the legislation to the current budget reconciliation package, although that could allow the proposal to be passed with only 51 votes.
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Vice President Kamala Harris, who can cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate, has supported legislation to decriminalize cannabis in the past. President Joe Biden has publicly supported decriminalizing marijuana but has not supported legalizing it, said Politico.
“I have spoken in the past about the president’s views on marijuana,” Psaki told the White House press corps Wednesday, adding, “nothing has changed. There’s no new endorsements of legislation to report today.”
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