An employee keeps buying a pot of marijuana after it became legal in the state to sell recreational marijuana to customers over the age of 21 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Illinois begins legalizing marijuana on January 1, 2020.
Matthew Hatcher | Reuters
Senate leader Majority Chuck Schumer and two other Democratic senators said Monday they will push for comprehensive legislation this year that would end the federal ban on marijuana, which is legalized to some extent by many states.
The reform would also provide so-called restorative justice for people convicted of pot-related crimes, the senators said in a joint statement.
“The war on drugs was a war on people – especially people of color,” reads a statement issued by Schumer of New York and Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Ron Wyden of Oregon.
“The end of the federal marijuana ban is necessary to redress the injustices of this failed war and to end decades of damage inflicted on color communities across the country.”
“But that alone is not enough. As states keep marijuana legal, we must also put in place measures to uplift people who have been unfairly targeted in the war on drugs.”
The senators said they would announce a “one-time discussion paper on comprehensive reform” early in the year and that the legislation would be a priority for the Senate.
The trio also said the legislation, in addition to ending the federal pot ban and restoring justice, “will protect public health and apply responsible taxes and regulations.”
Schumer co-sponsored the decriminalization of marijuana several years ago.
The statement comes as public support for legal marijuana has increased. A Gallup poll in November showed that 68% of Americans, a record high, prefer the legalization of marijuana.
Every initiative involving the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana on the vote in 2020 has succeeded.
Voters in New Jersey and Arizona have chosen to legalize marijuana for adult recreation. Mississippi voted to legalize marijuana use, and South Dakota legalized the drug for recreation as well as medical use.
To date, 15 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use by adults, and 36 states allow medical use of the drug.
Oregon is the first to decriminalize hard drugs.