Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer claims to favor repealing the federal ban on marijuana. The New York Democrat nevertheless helped sink legislation that would have removed federal obstacles to banking services for state-licensed marijuana businesses.
Even stranger, the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), which has long supported marijuana legalization, joined Schumer in demanding that the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act be excised from the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022, which President Joe Biden signed into law on December 27. "We have less than 72 hours to keep the SAFE Banking Act OUT of this omnibus bill," Maritza Perez, the DPA's director of national affairs, warned in a December 3 "urgent action" alert, "and the only way to stop it is if advocates like you speak up right away."
