The Marijuana Justice Act (S.597) was a 2019 bill to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, sponsored by U.S. Senator Cory Booker.[1] An identical bill, H.R.1456, was introduced in the House of Representatives.[2] The bill was co-sponsored by a number of contenders for the Democratic Party's nomination for U.S. President in the 2020 election, including Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Michael Bennet, and Bernie Sanders.[3] In February 2019, it was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.[4] An identically titled bill had been introduced by Senator Booker in the 2017–2018 Congress and was called "among the most notable efforts" around legalization in that session.[5] Besides removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, the bill also sought to set up a community reinvestment fund, provide for expungement of past drug convictions, and penalize states that enforce cannabis laws disproportionately (regarding race or income status).[6]
References
- ^ Weigel 2019.
- ^ Associated Press 2019.
- ^ Buck 2019.
- ^ Bill tracker: S.597, U.S. Congress, retrieved November 4, 2020
- ^ Schiller 2018.
- ^ Berke 2018.
Sources
- Andrew Blake (February 28, 2019). "Cory Booker reintroduces Marijuana Justice Act favored by fellow 2020 hopefuls". Associated Press.
- Weigel, David (February 28, 2019). "Booker and four presidential rivals endorse marijuana legalization". Washington Post.
- Schiller, Melissa (July 6, 2018). "Here's the 2017-2018 Federal Legislation That Could Affect Your Cannabis Business". Cannabis Business Times.
- Berke, Jeremy (April 20, 2018). "Top Democrats have introduced a number of bills to push for the federal legalization of marijuana". Business Insider.
- Buck, Rebecca (February 28, 2019). "Cory Booker to re-introduce marijuana legalization bill, highlighting issue's importance for 2020 Democrats". CNN.
Further reading
- "Why Cory Booker cares so much about legal weed". Rolling Stone. May 2, 2019.
- "Marijuana Justice Act of 2017: Senator Cory Booker Introduces Act to Repair the Harms Exacted by Marijuana Prohibition.", Harvard Law Review, 131, pp. 926–933, January 10, 2018 as PDF
