JLUSA Statement on First-Ever Comprehensive Marijuana Reform Bill Introduced in the Senate

Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act Builds Off House-passed MORE Act to Completely Deschedule Marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and Begin Repairing Extensive Harms Caused by Prohibition

NEW YORK — In response to Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Sens. Booker and Wyden today introducing the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA), JustLeadershipUSA and other 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 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.”

From JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA) Executive Vice President Ronald Simpson-Bey: “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.”

JLUSA is proud to be part of the Marijuana Justice Coalition and helping to get this bill—and the MORE Act in the House—endorsed and passed. Ronald Simpson-Bey recently participated in a Senate Briefing that addressed the CAOA.

Contact: Stephen Roach Knight, stephen@jlusa.org / jlusa@ellecomm.com