U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, who has argued for years that cannabis laws disproportionately hurt minority communities, plans to hold a hearing on the subject Tuesday.
Booker, who chairs the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on criminal justice and counterterrorism, has titled the hearing, “Decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level: Necessary steps to address past harms.”
No witnesses have been announced yet and the hearing will be held around the time Booker, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., have said they plan to introduce comprehensive legislation on cannabis.
Booker has said that more than half of all drug arrests involve marijuana, and Black people are almost four times more likely to be arrested than white people even though they use cannabis at the same rate.
Earlier this month, Booker and five other Senate Democratsasked President Joe Biden to use its existing powers to remove cannabis from the list of Schedule I drugs, which also includes heroin, and to pardon all individuals convicted of nonviolent marijuana crimes.
Ending the federal ban on marijuana would allow states to legalize cannabis without running afoul of U.S. law. Many, including New Jersey, have not waited for the federal government to act and allow sales of cannabis within their own borders.
”READ FULL ARTICLE: https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2022/07/booker-plans-senate-hearing-to-address-marijuana-laws-harm-to-black-residents.html
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