Friend,
Today, 88% of Americans support legal marijuana for medical or recreational use. But our federal marijuana laws remain stuck in the past. President Biden’s DEA is currently reviewing a recommendation to change marijuana’s placement on the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) from Schedule I to Schedule III. But rescheduling marijuana would maintain federal marijuana criminalization and its harms.
The outcome of the Biden Administration’s review of marijuana scheduling remains unknown. But Congress has an opportunity to act. Tell your Senator to deschedule marijuana by supporting the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA).
The CAOA is comprehensive marijuana reform legislation that will soon be reintroduced in the Senate. It would federally decriminalize marijuana by removing it from the CSA. It would also begin to repair the damage caused by decades of marijuana prohibition. The CAOA would expunge marijuana convictions. It would reinvest in the communities disproportionately harmed by marijuana criminalization. In short, the CAOA pairs marijuana decriminalization with real marijuana justice.
Federal marijuana decriminalization and repair is essential. Nearly half of all states in the U.S. have legalized marijuana in some form. But as long as marijuana remains anywhere on the CSA, most marijuana conduct would remain illegal under federal law.
Under federal marijuana criminalization:
- Individuals can be imprisoned, deported, or have their children taken away for marijuana-related activity;
- Marijuana-related convictions can keep people out of jobs and educational opportunities;
- Workers in marijuana-related industries lack critical federal protections; and
- People with marijuana records can still be barred from accessing life-sustaining food and housing benefits.
As 4/20 approaches, Congress has a historic opportunity to finally align public opinion with our federal marijuana laws. Act now to support comprehensive marijuana reform legislation.
