November 16, 2022 John,
Yesterday was an historic day for cannabis policy reform, and NORML took its consumer-oriented messaging directly to Congress.
For over two hours, I testified before members of the House Oversight Committee, Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. I advocated for the need for Congress to act swiftly to repeal the federal prohibition of cannabis and to respect the will of the majority of voters and of the majority of states that have legalized cannabis for either medical or adult use.
This work is critical to ensuring we continue to win our fight to end prohibition and to advocate for a consumer oriented vision of legalization. Please contribute today to help keep NORML going strong and fighting for cannabis consumers.
I opined: “At a time of record public support for legalization and when the majority of states regulate cannabis use, it makes no sense from a political, fiscal, or cultural perspective for Congress to try to put this genie back in the bottle or to continue to place its collective head in the sand. It is time for the federal government to end its nearly century-long experiment with cannabis prohibition.”
Reassuringly, most of the Committee’s members, including Chair Rep. Jamie Raskin and Ranking member Rep. Nancy Mace, expressed their agreement with NORML’s message. “The only place where cannabis reform is unpopular is here in the Halls of Congress,” Rep. Mace stated. “It’s time for the federal government to catch up with the states and bring an end to outdated and oppressive policies.”
By contrast, incendiary remarks by longtime prohibitionist Pete Sessions (R-TX) provided a stark reminder of the hurdles that we continue to face among some members of Congress. During his allotted time, Rep. Sessions falsely implied that cannabis plays a role in overdose deaths and he even went so far as to compare the state-level cannabis legalization policies to those of slavery.
Nonetheless, I am optimistic that our message of ‘reefer-sanity’ is resonating with more and more of our federal officials. Yesterday, Rep. Session’s remarks put him squarely in the minority. In fact, both Reps. Raskin and Mace thoroughly condemned his remarks. Furthermore, I was pleased to see how much of NORML’s messaging is now part and parcel with members’ own pro-legalization arguments. Indeed, after years of advocating for common-sense, evidence-based cannabis policies, it is clear that not only are a growing number of elected officials listening, but that many of them have been convinced!
I encourage you to watch yesterday’s hearing here. After you are done watching, I hope that you share my enthusiasm and that you can express your support for NORML’s efforts by making a donation. We have our opponents on their heels, let's keep fighting for cannabis freedom.
Onward,
Paul Armentano
NORML Deputy Director
