Leading with Conviction 2022 cohort member Keeda Haynes explains why we must demand the U.S. Senate pass the MORE Act now

Leading with Conviction 2022 cohort member Keeda Haynes went on MSNBC last month to talk about the importance of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which passed in the House of Representatives and now sits in the Senate awaiting a vote. Passage of the MORE Act and legislation to address the disproportionate impact of marijuana criminalization on people of color, including community reinvestment, etc. is one of the long-term legislative goals JLUSA laid out in our 2021-2024 National Platform and Roadmap.

The MORE Act begins to address the oppressive drug laws and policies that have contributed to the disproportionate incarceration of people of color, especially Black people, and the “white washing” of the burgeoning cannabis industry. But the legalization of cannabis is only one important step towards reversing the damage caused by the so-called “War on Drugs.”

Policymakers must work with directly impacted people—like Keeda Haynes and others—who have lived experience with the injustices of the legal system to pass the MORE Act, as well as comprehensive cannabis reforms that include community reinvestment, expungement of past convictions, the elimination of collateral consequences for drug convictions, and the elimination of immigration penalties.

JLUSA is a member of the Marijuana Justice Coalition, which is calling on the Senate to take action now to pass the MORE Act.

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