Several days after Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced he was postponing the filing of a comprehensive marijuana reform proposal from April to sometime before the August recess, he confirmed again with a promise that he will respect the timeline, reported Marijuana Moment.
“Make no mistake, I’m working diligently with my Senate colleagues to make sure that the federal government catches up. This bill will be comprehensive, and I promise we will introduce this important legislation before the August recess,” the Senate Majority Leader said at the National Cannabis Policy Summit Friday.
“It’s the right thing to do. It’s about individual freedom and basic fairness,” he noted, adding that the war on drugs has been “a war on people—and overwhelmingly people of color.”
Schumer also highlighted that a few years ago an event such as the cannabis summit would have been difficult to imagine, but evidently, things have changed as hundreds of millions of Americans now live in states where cannabis is legal in one form or another.
In conclusion, Sen. Schumer made a “promise to keep working on” the bill.
What's In Schumer's Bill?
Schumer and fellow Sens. Cory Booker and Ron Wyden introduced the outline of the Cannabis Administration & Opportunity Act (CAOA) in July 2021.
The proposal includes plans to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, expunge prior convictions and allow people who are serving time for applicable crimes to petition for resentencing.
In addition, states would retain the right to set their marijuana policies and help those who've been criminalized over the cannabis plant.
He’s Been Working On It
Despite the fact that a majority of Americans support comprehensive marijuana reform, opposition comes largely from the Republican party, although there are GOP leaders who support legalization, like Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) who introduced her own cannabis legalization bill, the States Reform Act last November.
As such, Schumer is urging his colleagues to help him create a bill that would be acceptable to as many as possible. He went as far as asking what Republicans need to be in the bill in order to support it.
Once he gets the answer to that question, will he be able to implement it? And, if so, will he do it on time? We’ll see. August is not too far away.
One thing is certain though – when Schumer finally files his bill, there will be enormous expectations after so many delays, but mostly because of months of built-up anticipation.
Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
