Shervin Aazami is running to be the first progressive Iranian-American to serve in the House of Representatives. This is more than a political campaign – this is a people-powered, progressive movement. With your help, we can take this movement to Washington to bring real change to CA-32.

John,

37 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for medical use, and 18 states currently regulate cannabis for recreational purposes. And yet, the movement to legalize cannabis at the federal level is still lagging.

Before I go on to tell you more about why I support the federal legalization of cannabis, I have to ask: if you're on board to end the War on Drugs in the United States, will you chip in now to my campaign for transformative change?

CHIP IN!

Despite a widespread movement across state legislatures to pass bills legalizing cannabis as a recreational substance, cannabis remains a Schedule I drug at the federal level. According to the DEA, Schedule I drugs are classified "…as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse."

Cannabis's medicinal uses have been well-documented in medical literature. From treating physical pain and nausea associated with cancer to mental illnesses like PTSD, cannabis can help alleviate a wide range of conditions.

But there's more to the fight to legalize marijuana than medical use, John. In 1970, the Nixon administration passed The Controlled Substances Act, officially classifying cannabis as a Schedule I drug and ushering in a devastating era of militarized policing, mass incarceration, and racist policies under the "War on Drugs."

More than 50 years later, the federal government has made next to no progress on legalizing cannabis, but they have made progress when it comes to devastating Central and South America with the “War on Drugs”, as well as incarcerating millions of predominantly Black and brown people.

I wrote my thesis for my Masters of Public Health on how mass incarceration is among the most ignored public health crises. The generational impacts of caging millions of Black and brown Americans on their economic, educational, and public health outcomes is enormous. We not only need to legalize weed, but expunge cannabis-related criminal records, and pass reparations for frontline communities of color devastated by the War on Drugs. This must include restoring the right to vote for millions disenfranchised by the racist War on Drugs.

It is past time we do that. As your next representative, I'm committed to fighting for cannabis legalization and passing the MORE Act, which would retroactively expunge all cannabis-related arrests, charges, and convictions that have disproportionately harmed Black and brown communities. The MORE Act would also funnel money into cannabis medical research and impose a 5% retail tax on cannabis sales.

Our leaders in Congress must take real action to legalize cannabis at the federal level. John, will you stand with me in the fight to reform our outdated cannabis policies by chipping in $4.20, or whatever you're able, today?

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In solidarity,

- Shervin Aazami
Candidate for CA-32