John,
For decades, the war on drugs has meant one thing for communities of color: criminalization, incarceration, and economic devastation. While white Americans have profited off a booming cannabis industry, Black and Brown people still sit in prison cells suffering lifelong consequences for nonviolent marijuana offenses.
That’s why the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) is more than a cannabis reform bill. It’s a racial justice bill.
This isn’t a theoretical fight. Today, Black Americans are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana despite equal usage rates.
Championed by Senators Cory Booker and Ron Wyden, the CAOA would finally remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, ending federal prohibition. But more importantly, it mandates automatic expungement of federal marijuana convictions, offers resentencing for those still imprisoned, and builds an Opportunity Trust Fund to reinvest in the very communities targeted by racist drug laws.
Legalization without justice isn’t enough. It’s time to demand both. Tell Congress: Legalize marijuana and end the federal ban now.
The CAOA sets a bold new framework by banning federal discrimination based on cannabis use or convictions, and ensuring no one is denied public housing, student aid, or citizenship because of a failed drug war.
And the bill doesn’t stop at dismantling the past. It invests in the future. Grants from cannabis tax revenue will fund job training, reentry support, and small business loans, specifically targeting communities decimated by prohibition.
It’s about building equity because federal cannabis laws have always been tools of systemic racism. It’s long past time to replace punishment with restoration and exclusion with opportunity.
This legislation is a roadmap to justice. But it won’t become law without a grassroots push. Call on Congress to pass the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act now.
Together, we can end the racist legacy of marijuana prohibition and build a future rooted in equity and opportunity.
- DFA AF Team
