Skip to main content

Top New Hampshire Lawmaker Says Marijuana Could Be Legalized Despite Governors Opposition

The incoming House Democratic majority’s fifth top ranking member says that after the recent passage of criminal justice reform legislation entitled The First Step Act, the “next step” should be to enact far-reaching marijuana reforms.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who was elected to new party leadership position last month, has been an outspoken advocate for cannabis decriminalization. Though his House Democratic Caucus chair win over Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) disappointed some progressives, his aggressive stance on marijuana reform in 2019 could help endear him to the party’s base.

“Thanks to…the administration and a strong left-right coalition (the unusual suspects), historic criminal justice reform legislation is now law,” Jeffries tweeted on Friday. “Next step, Congress should DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA.”

The congressman has repeatedly condemned racially disproportionate arrest rates for simple marijuana possession, including in parts of New York City that he represents.

“New York City is often known as one of the more progressive places in the country, but I’m ashamed of the fact that it is also the marijuana arrest capitol of the world,” he said in September. “More people in New York City over the last decade or so have been arrested for simple possession of marijuana than in any other place in the world. And the unfortunate part about that—even in a place like New York City that prides itself on social, racial and economic inclusion—is that a disproportionate number of people arrested are black and Latino.”

In his capacity as House Caucus chair, Jeffries will be uniquely positioned to help guide the party’s efforts on cannabis legislation, conferring with likely incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and committee chairs as the new Democratic majority sets its priorities.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) laid out a step-by-step plan to that end earlier this year in a memo to party leaders that he called a “Blueprint to Legalize Marijuana in the 116th Congress.”

The plan involves having multiple committee chairs hold hearings on various aspects of cannabis reform and ultimately delivering a package of reform bills that will pave the path to federal decriminalization and legalization.

“Those who are actually looking to champion criminal justice reform should work with us on key elements surrounding our outdated federal marijuana policy, like federal decriminalization and expungement for non-violent drug offenses,” Blumenauer said in a separate statement about the passage of the criminal justice bill. “Congress needs to do more to transform our justice system from punitive to rehabilitative.”

Incoming House Rules Chair Signs On To Far-Reaching Marijuana Reform Bill

Photo element courtesy of Carlos Gracia.

Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.

Original Article Source: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/top-new-hampshire-lawmaker-says-marijuana-could-be-legalized-despite-governors-opposition/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New York City Adds More Exceptions To Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing Ban

An ambitious campaign to decriminalize psychedelics in Washington, D.C., is one step closer to placing their measure on the November ballot with the formal submission of tens of thousands of voter signatures. Organizers have been scrambling for weeks to collect enough signatures from D.C. voters by Monday’s deadline amid historically difficult circumstances: a global pandemic, months of stay-at-home orders and protests over racism and police violence that filled the streets of the nation’s capital. But with the help of innovative signature-gathering techniques and allies flown in from across the country, advocates said they had successfully submitted upwards of 35,000 signatures—more than enough to qualify the initiative. If approved by voters, Initiative 81 would make enforcement of laws against plant- and fungus-based psychedelics among the “lowest law enforcement priorities” for the Metropolitan Police Department. It would not, however, legalize or reduce penalties for the subs...
Post a Comment
Read more

What To Know Before Buying Your Mom CBD For The Holidays

So you want to buy your mom CBD gummies for Christmas. Get educated first. Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto By Brittany Levine Beckman 2019-11-30 14:00:00 UTC There may only be 12 days of Christmas, but there are approximately 12 million CBD products trying to capture your attention. And most of them you shouldn’t buy. It’s hard enough to get a handle on what CBD will actually do for you . Picking which product to buy amid the plethora of options — which face little to no regulation — adds an extra layer of difficulty. Then there’s the wrinkle of buying CBD as a gift. Any time you use a CBD product, you’re basically acting as a guinea pig. When you buy CBD for your mom for Christmas, you’re treating her as one, too.  As Martin Lee, the director of CBD advocacy group Project CBD says, “There’s good-quality products, and there’s a lot of crap out there.” Here are eight things to keep in mind while shopping for CBD this holiday season.  1. Consider what you want the CB...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mississippi Medical Marijuana Activists Relieved After Controversial Legalization Resolution Stalls Out

Only a day after a new marijuana decriminalization law took effect in Virginia, top state lawmakers are announcing that they’re already looking ahead to full legalization. A group of Democratic legislators on Thursday announced plans to introduce a bill to legalize and regulate a commercial cannabis market in the state. While the measure isn’t set to be filed until next year, lawmakers framed legalization as necessary in the fight for social and racial justice. “Decriminalizing marijuana is an important step in mitigating racial disparities in the criminal justice system, but there is still much work to do,” House Majority Leader Charniele Herring (D) said in a press release. “While marijuana arrests across the nation have decreased, arrests in Virginia have increased.” Other lawmakers backing the broader legalization push include Sens. Adam Ebbin (D) and Jennifer McClellan (D), as well as Del. Steve Heretick (D). On Wednesday, the state’s new marijuana decriminalization policy t...
Post a Comment
Read more