Legalize it!
According to Census of State and Federal Correctional Facilities (and Bureau of Prisons) 1 in 5 U.S. Citizens is locked up for a Drug Offense, often serving 20+ years.
During the election Campaign, now Vice President Kamala Harris supported Federal Legalization of Cannabis.
“I am absolutely in favor of legalizing marijuana. We’ve got to do it,” Harris told CNN Politics in October 2020. “We have incarcerated so many, and particularly young men and young men of color, in a way that we have not for the same level of use (among) other young men,” she added.
President Biden has a more tepid record favoring Cannabis Legalization but supports Decriminalization as an important step. To date, N.J Senator Cory Booker has been of the most vocal, suggesting Cannabis be legalized and criminal records be expunged.
“Black people are 3.7 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than their white peers even though they use marijuana at similar rates,” Booker tweeted. “If we truly want to be a fair and just nation, we need to correct for this disparate treatment of enforcement practices.” Booker Tweeted on the introduction of his Marijuana Legalization Bill in February 2019.
With Canada now almost 3 years into Legalization of Cannabis with success economically and socially, among the litany of changes the USA now awaits due to Electoral promises made, Pot Law sits high on many lists.
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Patricia Lee covered Legislative News from the Press Gallery in Victoria B.C. for several years before leaving the news to become one of Canada’s first and largest Certified Internet Domain Registries. Lee continues to write for Tech publications and submits Political Columns regularly throughout Canada and the United States.