Every Democrat currently seeking the presidency supports changing drug law.
By David Weigel David Weigel National reporter covering politics Email Bio Follow February 28 at 6:00 AM Joined by four fellow candidates for the presidency, Sen. Cory Booker is reintroducing legislation that would legalize marijuana and expunge convictions for possessing the drug.
All of them had co-sponsored the 2017 bill, too, as had Sen. Jeff Merkley , who is considering his own run for the presidency. Sen. Michael F. Bennet , who traveled to Iowa last week, is also co-sponsoring the new bill. Since the 1970 passage of the Controlled Substances Act, the federal government has classified marijuana as a substance with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Petitions to change that designation have been ignored by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and states have decriminalized marijuana for medical and recreational purposes despite the statute, creating a legal gray area.
Booker’s legislation goes further than legalization, though, and would create a “community reinvestment fund” to offer grants, job training, and transition from prison to community life for the people and places “most affected by the war on drugs.” Harris said in a statement: “Marijuana laws in this country have not been applied equally, and as a result we have criminalized marijuana use in a way that has led to the disproportionate incarceration of young men of color. Legalizing marijuana is the smart thing to do and the right thing to do to advance justice and equality for every American.”
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Cory Booker to re-introduce marijuana legalization bill, highlighting issue's importance for 2020 DemocratsSen. Cory Booker of New Jersey will re-introduce legislation Thursday to legalize marijuana at the federal level, continuing to highlight an issue that has already garnered unprecedented attention in the early stages of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
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