Marijuana Justice Coalition Statement on Majority Leader Schumer and Sens. Booker and Wyden Introducing First-Ever Comprehensive Marijuana Reform Bill in the Senate

Washington, D.C.—In response to Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Sens. Booker and Wyden today introducing the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, members of the Marijuana Justice Coalition—a broad coalition of national advocacy organizations united in their advocacy for federal marijuana reform through a racial and economic justice lens—released the following coalitions statements: 

Joint Marijuana Justice Coalition Statement:
“We appreciate all of the hard work that Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Sens. Booker and Wyden put into reaching this milestone by developing the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA). As a diverse coalition of organizations, we have worked diligently to ensure that issues ranging from criminal justice to immigrant rights to workers’ rights and economic justice are included in the bill. We look forward to going through the proposal with a fine-tooth comb to ensure that the legislative text will best address the decades of harm prohibition has inflicted on people of color and marginalized communities. We will be releasing more information publicly regarding the strengths and potential improvements to the bill as it works through the committee process.”  

Maritza Perez, Director of the Office of Federal Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA):
“The significance of this bill finally being introduced in the Senate cannot be understated. For over 85 years, our communities have been locked up and locked out of opportunities as a result of punitive and racially-motivated marijuana enforcement. The leadership displayed today by Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Sens. Booker and Wyden, in introducing this bill, sends a clear message that those days are numbered. Building off the House-passed MORE Act, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act would not only deschedule marijuana at the federal level, but it also begins to repair the extensive economic and societal tolls that have been caused by prohibition. While the bill—in its current form has room for improvement—we are incredibly grateful to have reached this critical milestone and look forward to working with the Senate in the coming days and months to meticulously address those concerns and ensure the reforms this bill calls for authentically embody the kind of justice, opportunity and reinvestment our communities deserve.” 

Morgan Fox, Political Director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML):
“Official introduction of this far-reaching legislation will facilitate substantive and long overdue conversations in the Senate on cannabis policy reform. More Americans agree on the need to end prohibition than on almost anything else, and Majority Leader Schumer should be commended for his historic leadership on this issue. We look forward to working with the entire Senate in the coming months to sensibly regulate cannabis and start repairing the harms associated with failed and outdated federal policies.”

Sirine Shebaya, Executive Director of the National Immigration Project (NIPNLG):
“For decades, the failed War on Drugs has targeted Black and brown communities and has had devastating consequences for immigrant communities. Beyond the already harsh criminal consequences of marijuana convictions, immigrants are additionally punished through draconian penalties including detention, deportation, and family separation – even in states where marijuana use has been decriminalized. We applaud Senators Schumer, Booker, & Wyden for taking this significant and long overdue step to begin to repair the deep harms marijuana prohibition has caused our communities. As an organization composed of and representing immigrants all over the country, we commend this step and will work with our partners to ensure this bill becomes law.”

Justin Strekal, Founding Organizer of Better Organizing to Win Legalization (BOWL):
“We cannot overstate the significance of this first, the Senate Majority Leader introducing legislation to end the federal criminalization of marijuana. As the political winds demand reform, the legislative process must ensure that those who have been harmed be made whole and that small businesses are given preference in this emerging legal marketplace. As we collectively work towards legalization, decriminalization is a vital step— one that the Senate just took today.” 

Nithya Nathan-Pineau, Policy Attorney & Strategist at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC):
“The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) commends the important step the Senate has taken with the introduction of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA). The CAOA continues to build upon the Marijuana Justice Coalition’s approach to marijuana policy led by the principles of social equity and investment. We are glad to see that the CAOA addresses the collateral consequences faced by immigrants as a result of draconian marijuana policy and takes an important step towards repairing the harm caused to immigrant communities. We look forward to reviewing the language of the bill and continuing to advocate for all immigrants impacted by criminalization.”

Timothy McMahan King, Senior Fellow at the Clergy for a New Drug Policy:
“This legislation is another step toward the creation of a just and compassionate society. Cannabis never should have been criminalized and now we need to make right the harms prohibition has caused, especially among communities of color. We’ve worked with hundreds of religious leaders across the country who have been at the forefront of this movement for justice and by faith, we believe the time for this long overdue change has come.” 

Shaleen Title, Founder of the Parabola Center:
“Like Senate Majority Leader Schumer, we believe that federal marijuana legalization should provide opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses, not Big Tobacco and the other ‘big boys.’ We continue to applaud the Majority Leader and Senators Booker and Wyden for their sincere commitment to ensuring fair access and restorative measures for the communities that have historically been excluded and harmed. However, as state after state has demonstrated, it takes more than just a commitment to equitably implement a framework for legal cannabis. It takes attention to detail, evaluation of evidence, and a willingness to make course corrections. We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with members of the Senate to work through those details and advance bold, evidence-based solutions to put us on track toward our common goals of fairness and justice. The introduction of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act is a significant step toward those goals.”

Ronald Simpson-Bey, Executive Vice President at JustLeadershipUSA:
“Building off the House-passed MORE Act, JustLeadershipUSA commends Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senators Booker and Wyden for their vision and leadership in the development of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA). CAOA will help relieve some of the debilitating collateral consequences suffered by millions of Americans with drug convictions, and millions more of their family members. When you eliminate or restrict a person’s ability to find housing, ability to get food, ability to drive, ability to work, and ability to get higher education, you create roadblocks to people becoming successful and contributing members of society. CAOA is a clear step in the right direction, and we hope that it is but one step of many more to come.”

Bryon Adinoff, President of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation (DCFR):
“The U.S. Senate’s consideration of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA), which follows passage of the MORE Act earlier this year, will be remembered as a bold action advancing public health in our country. Federal prohibition of cannabis began in 1937 with the Marijuana Tax Act and remains in place under the Controlled Substances Act. Passage of the Tax Act ignored the forceful opposition testimony of the AMA’s legal counsel, Dr. William C. Woodward. As president of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, an organization representing hundreds of physicians and other medical professionals, I believe the CAOA will empower our country to reverse the harms of prohibition by descheduling cannabis, easing scientists’ ability to conduct research on medical cannabis, allowing Veterans access to medical cannabis, expunging cannabis-related convictions, and ending prohibitions’ ongoing harm to public health. We look forward to working with the Senate to assure that this bill allows the U.S. to better promote public health in a just society.”

Benita Jain, Supervising Attorney at the Immigrant Defense Project (IDP):
“For decades, Black and Latinx communities have been targeted disproportionately for cannabis-related activity. Immigrants from these communities have been doubly targeted by ICE, leading to detention, deportation and separation from loved ones. Even in states that have decriminalized cannabis, immigrants remain at risk and shut out of the legal industry due to the harsh immigration consequences that remain at the federal level. Today’s introduction of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act is a milestone in the fight for immigrant justice, and descheduling marijuana will take an important step toward ending these harms. We look forward to reading the bill closely and working with the Senate to ensure that it fully meets the resounding call for justice, equity and opportunity for all people.”

Akua Amaning, Director of Criminal Justice Reform at the Center for American Progress (CAP):
“The Senate’s Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) is a critical step toward comprehensive reform and equitable marijuana laws rooted in social and racial justice. This measure would not only deschedule marijuana, but it would also correct decades of harms by facilitating the expungement and resentencing of nonviolent federal marijuana convictions. Black people are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana than white people, despite using it at similar rates—these arrest records can be a lifetime barrier to economic security. By reinvesting tax revenue from marijuana businesses into the communities most affected by the war on drugs, the CAOA would help fuel job growth and increase opportunity for communities most harmed by our country’s criminalization of marijuana. In introducing this bill, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with Sens. Cory Booker and Ron Wyden, have demonstrated their commitment to centering equity and restorative justice through modernizing the country’s marijuana policies. While we applaud the Senate’s efforts, we recognize there is opportunity to enhance the measure. We look forward to continuing our work alongside the Marijuana Justice Coalition to ensure the CAOA truly functions as a measure of equitable and restorative justice.”

Roz McCarthy, Founder and CEO, and Eric Foster, National Policy Director for Cannabis & Hemp, at Minorities for Medical Marijuana (M4MM):
“We at Minorities for Medical Marijuana are excited to see Senator Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Senator Corey Booker and Senator Ron Wyden bring the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act to the United States Senate. This is a historic step in the work to bring cannabis from the shadows and to the light of legalization, descheduling and restorative economic and social justice. We are anticipating thoughtful debate and consideration for this legislation and taking part in that process. We look forward to reviewing the legislative text and providing our thoughts and recommendations for language modifications as warranted.”

Aamra Ahmad, Senior Policy Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU):
“The ACLU is pleased that Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senators Booker and Wyden are introducing the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. Americans overwhelmingly support marijuana legalization, yet there are more than 400,000 arrests a year for possession of marijuana, needlessly entangling people in the criminal legal system. If you want to know what systemic racism is, look no further than the war on drugs and marijuana enforcement—a Black person is 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Black and white people use marijuana at similar rates. As a result, people of color are unevenly bearing the burdens of having a marijuana conviction, including difficulty securing housing, employment, education, and public benefits. We will continue to work with the Senate to ensure that this bill succeeds in lifting the burdens of criminalization by providing expungement and resentencing for all marijuana convictions.”

Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League:
“For generations, cannabis prohibition and the War on Drugs has targeted people of color, exacerbating a legacy of mass prosecution and incarceration. Prohibition and Schedule 1 drug classification has also created barriers to education, housing, and more, extending wealth gaps along racial lines. The National Urban League applauds the efforts of Majority Leader Schumer and Senators Booker and Wyden for introducing the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. We look forward to closely reviewing the bill and continuing to work with the Senators to ensure this bill will allow our communities to achieve the true equality, inclusion, and justice it deserves.”

Eric Goepel, Founder & CEO of the Veterans Cannabis Coalition:
The introduction of CAOA marks the next stage in our national progress towards ending federal cannabis prohibition and we thank Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senators Booker and Wyden for their leadership. At its core, cannabis prohibition has harmed every person in the U.S. since at least 1937 by denying a basic truth: the plant has benefits. In the case of veterans, who have witnessed more than 120,000 suicides and an untold number of fatal overdoses and substance-related deaths in our community since 9/11, prohibition is killing us every day. Veterans have been the canary in the coalmine in public health crisis after crisis, from opioids to houselessness, yet our elected representatives largely feel comfortable ignoring both our lived experience and a growing body of supporting research. Believe veterans when we say that there is no silver bullet when tackling complex and severe trauma. But our nation only stands to gain in investigating, normalizing, and developing new treatments on the strength of what cannabis and its compounds offer.”

Kanya Bennett, Managing Director of Government Affairs at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights:
“We applaud the introduction of this comprehensive reform bill. Addressing draconian federal marijuana laws through measures like this legislation is long overdue. Over the past five decades, U.S. drug policies have contributed to an increase in unprecedented incarceration rates. Over-criminalization and over-incarceration have devastating impacts on those ensnared in the criminal-legal system and their families, do not produce any proportional increase in public safety, and disproportionately harm Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities. We look forward to working with the Senate to ensure that this bill addresses these decades of harm and provides reparative opportunities to communities most affected by these failed policies.”

More Background:
CAOA Comments from the Coalition

About the Marijuana Justice Coalition
The Marijuana Justice Coalition is a broad coalition of national advocacy organizations, convened by the Drug Policy Alliance, who have joined forces to advocate for federal marijuana reform through a racial and economic justice lens. In the 116th Congress, the Marijuana Justice Coalition led the historic passage of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment & Expungement (MORE) Act (H.R. 3884) in the House. This marked the first time a chamber of Congress voted to deschedule marijuana. In the 117th Congress, the Coalition was once again successful in passing the MORE Act (H.R. 3617) in the House, marking the first time a descheduling bill was passed in a non-lame duck session of Congress. The Coalition continues to work toward the successful passage of a comprehensive marijuana bill in Congress that legalizes marijuana and centers the people most impacted by prohibition. This work includes collaborating with the Senate on the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which builds upon the social justice provisions of the MORE Act.

About the Drug Policy Alliance
The Drug Policy Alliance envisions a just society in which the use and regulation of drugs are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights, in which people are no longer punished for what they put into their own bodies, and in which the fears, prejudices and punitive prohibitions of today are no more. Our mission is to advance those policies and attitudes that best reduce the harms of both drug use and drug prohibition, and to promote the autonomy of individuals over their minds and bodies. Learn more at drugpolicy.org.

About the National Immigration Project
The National Immigration Project (NIPNLG) is a national non-profit organization that provides technical assistance and support to community-based immigrant organizations, legal practitioners, and all advocates seeking and working to advance the rights of noncitizens. NIPNLG utilizes impact litigation, advocacy, and public education to pursue its mission. The National Immigration Project is a member of the Marijuana Justice Coalition, a broad coalition of national advocacy organizations led by the Drug Policy Alliance who have joined forces to advocate for federal marijuana reform through a racial and economic lens. The National Immigration Project has been a national leader in legal education, analysis, and technical assistance on the immigration consequences of drug-related convictions, and has advocated to ensure that noncitizens are included in marijuana decriminalization efforts. Learn more at nipnlg.org. Follow NIPNLG on social media: National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild on Facebook, @NIPNLG on Twitter and Instagram.

About Better Organizing to Win Legalization
Better Organizing to Win Legalization and its sister organization BOWL PAC work to unify the public, interest groups, and policymakers behind a comprehensive approach to marijuana legalization and justice for those who have been harmed under its criminalization.

About the Immigrant Legal Resource Center
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit that works with immigrants, community organizations, legal professionals, and policy makers to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. Through community education, legal training and technical assistance, and policy development & advocacy, the ILRC works to protect and defend the fundamental rights of immigrant families and communities. 

About Clergy for a New Drug Policy
Clergy for a New Drug Policy is a coalition of faith leaders that works nationally on behalf of an agenda that ends the War on Drugs by allocating resources to education, treatment, and public safety. We envision a society in which values of compassion, mercy, and healing, especially concerning drug use, replace our nation’s culture of punishment.

About Parabola Center
Parabola Center for Law and Policy is a nonpartisan think tank of legal professionals coming together to provide everyone with the access and tools to participate in the drug policy arena. Our goal is to design a legal framework that centers consumers, workers, and small businesses, and ensures that revenue goes back to the communities that are most impacted by the War on Drugs. Instead of letting multistate conglomerates hijack the legal cannabis movement, we work to keep the power with the people. Find out more at parabolacenter.com.

About JustLeadershipUSA
JustLeadershipUSA was founded on a principle that “those closest to the problem are closest to the solution but farthest from resources and power to do anything about it.” We amplify the power of directly impacted people by educating, empowering, and investing in them, elevating their voices so they have the tools and resources to self-organize and advocate for themselves, their families, and their communities. Together we build an equitable, fair, and just United States.

About Doctors for Cannabis Regulation
DFCR serves as the global voice for physicians and other health professionals to advance the legalization and science-based regulation of cannabis. Through education and advocacy efforts, we leverage the influence and expertise of the medical community to realize the legislative changes necessary to promote improved public health, social justice, and consumer protections.

About the Immigrant Defense Project
The Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) is a New York-based nonprofit that works to secure fairness and justice for immigrants in the racially-biased U.S. criminal and immigration systems. IDP fights to end the current era of unprecedented mass criminalization, detention and deportation through a multi-pronged strategy including advocacy, litigation, legal support, community partnerships, and strategic communications. 

About the Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is an independent nonpartisan policy institute that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action. Our aim is not just to change the conversation, but to change the country. Learn more at americanprogress.org.

About Minorities for Medical Marijuana
Minorities for Medical Marijuana established in 2016 is the country’s largest community
based organization in the cannabis industry serving communities and individuals if
color. M4MM is a national nonprofit organization with 27 chapters throughout the USA, 3
international chapters, and 2 HBCU chapters. 2022 will be an important year for the
Cannabis and Hemp Industry and its specific functional units. The following structural
pillars will help to ensure equitable opportunity and for persons coming from
communities disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of previous Cannabis
prohibition laws: Licensing Structure and Process; Increasing the share of Minority Owner-Operator’s licensees; Economic Inclusion and Expansion; Employment and Professional Mobility; Supplier Diversity & Revenue Opportunity; Improving Health Outcomes; Municipal empowerment, especially for Minority Majority Municipalities and Counties; and Restorative Social and Economic Justice Impacts.

About the American Civil Liberties Union
For nearly 100 years, the ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.

About the National Urban League
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 92 local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually nationwide. Visit www.nul.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @NatUrbanLeague.

About the Veterans Cannabis Coalition
The Veterans Cannabis Coalition is an independent advocacy group focused on ending federal cannabis prohibition and ensuring equitable access and education for all. Prompted by the long-ranging failures in the legal and healthcare systems created by criminalizing a plant, along with the particular hypocrisy of veterans suffering and dying by overdose and suicide on one hand while being promised the best care on the other, VCC has set out to show how cannabis is helping people. Those efforts take the form of federal advocacy on related issues as well as grassroots organizing, including the creation of compassionate donation programs with local nonprofits in California providing free medicine to hundreds of patients.

About The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 230 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.