Chuck Schumer [Senate Minority Leader] wants to decriminalize marijuana. It’s a big change for Democrats
On Friday, April 20th, 2018 on the unofficial marijuana holiday known as 4.20, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a plan to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The New York Democrat’s support gives the policy a powerful voice as opinions on the substance become more favorable both with voters and within the ranks of Congress. The senator also said the bill would aim to boost funding for marijuana businesses owned by women and minorities. Minority communities have been disproportionately affected by drug arrests and prison time.
Schumer plans to introduce a bill to pull marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances, aiming to effectively reduce punishments related to the drug and encourage more efforts to legalize it at the state level. The legislation would not stop federal law enforcement from stopping the movement of marijuana between states where it is legal and areas where it is not. It marks a reversal on marijuana for the Senate’s top Democrat, as opinions on the substance have evolved across the political spectrum. “The time has come to decriminalize marijuana,” Schumer said in a statement. “My thinking – as well as the general population’s views – on the issue has evolved, and so I believe there’s no better time than the present to get this done. It’s simply the right thing to do.”
Original Article (CNBC):
Chuck Schumer [Senate Minority Leader] wants to decriminalize marijuana. It’s a big change for Democrats
Artwork Fair Use: Hermann Adolf Köhler (1834 – 1879)
