The “largest coalition of cannabis industry, grassroots, and advocacy organizations that are bipartisan” will gather in Washington, D.C., to lobby for federal reform right before the 4/20 holiday this year.
The Last Prisoner Project’s (LPP) meeting on Thursday will bring together a diverse group of activists and stakeholders with different ideologies to encourage legalization that is centered around equity.
LPP also released a memo to guide advocates in how to “leverage”, a possible federal decision to reschedule cannabis, to fight for a more comprehensive reform on the administrative and congressional level.
A Congressional Research Service report released on Tuesday outlined the limitations of simple rescheduling. It explained how states cannabis markets would continue running afoul federal law, and that certain criminal penalties would still be in place for marijuana-related activities.
Representatives of several national marijuana trade associations and organizations are set to attend the event on April 18. Among them are the Drug Policy Alliance, Minority Cannabis Business Association, National Cannabis Industry Association, NORML and others.
Maritza Medina is the director of federal affairs for DPA. She said, “We are delighted to participate in this Day of Action to highlight the urgency of marijuana Justice.” Our communities will not be ignored at this crucial time for federal marijuana reform.
MCBA President Kaliko Castille stated that the organization is “proud to support this Day of Action because it’s evident that Congress needs a reminder during this crucial election year that ending the prohibition has broad support from the American public.”
“Congress is only government that can end this nightmare in which humans are locked up for owning or growing plants. “Our communities cannot afford to wait anymore,” he said.
The LPP memo lays out a number of avenues that can be taken to achieve equity-focused cannabis reform, including pushing for separate congressional legislation in order to facilitate expungements, and encouraging the Biden administration expand the scope of President Obama’s mass pardons of cannabis possession crimes by commuting sentences for people who are currently serving federal marijuana-related convictions.
The report also states that a rescheduling may encourage the Justice Department’s to update its guidance on prosecutorial discretion in federal marijuana cases. It also says that state officials can leverage administrative mechanisms in order to provide retroactive relief for previous cannabis offenses. This could be incentivized by a federal rescheduling.
Sarah Gersten, the LPP Executive director who wrote the new memo , said. While rescheduling will not provide retroactive relief, a shift in policy would represent a significant change. We must be prepared to open the reform door when it occurs. We have listed several ways that the administration can bring real relief to those who are suffering and give substance to President Obama’s largely symbolic reforms.
Geoffrey Lawrence is the research director of the Reason Foundation and co-authored an opinion piece for Marijuana Moment about existing state social equity programs. He said that rescheduling marijuana “might seem like a good thing, but it is fraught with danger.”
He said that a Schedule III designation will continue to criminalize marijuana manufacturing, distribution or possession at the federal government level for products which have not received FDA pre-market approval. “Substantively speaking, this means that the change would not imply any relief from criminal laws for existing licensees or consumers, and that any new exercise by the FDA of regulatory authority could threaten existing state-regulated market.”
He added that “all the progress made by advocates over the past decades could be wiped out.” “A full descheduling of marijuana is the only option that should be considered.”
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra stated that his agency has “communicated” its “position” regarding marijuana rescheduling and continues to provide additional information in order to help with the final decision.
has steadfastly insisted that it has the “final authority” on this matter . It can, however, make any scheduling decision it sees fit.
In a letter sent to legislators last month, the DEA said that it had the final say on whether to schedule, reschedule or deschedule a substance under the Controlled Substances Act. This decision was made after taking into account the statutory and regulatory requirements and the HHS’s medical and scientific evaluation. “DEA is currently conducting its review.”
The statement was made in response to a letter sent by 31 bipartisan legislators, led Earl Blumenauer (DOR), who had urged the agency to take into account the “merits of legalization” as it conducted its review.
DEA has been under pressure from both sides in the recent debate on marijuana policy. Prohibitionists have urged the agency to maintain cannabis as Schedule I, while advocates are pushing for a Schedule III or descheduling decision.
Before the HHS documents were released, a coalition consisting of 12 Democratic state Attorneys General urged DEA to proceed with federal marijuana rescheduling. They called the policy change a “public safety imperative”.
In a second letter sent last month, 29 former U.S. Attorneys urged the Biden administration not to include cannabis in Schedule 1.
The governors of six U.S. States–Colorado Illinois, New York New Jersey Maryland and Louisiana sent a letter to Biden last month asking the administration to reschedule cannabis by the end the year.
Six former DEA directors and five former White House Drug Czars have sent a letter to the Attorney General and current DEA Administrator expressing their opposition to the recommendation of the federal health agency to reschedule cannabis . The letter also included a questionable statement about the relationship between criminal penalties and drug schedules, which could have exaggerated the impact of incremental reform.
The DEA and Office of National Drug Control Policy directors under both major parties’ presidents are among the signatories.
Advocates and legislators who support cannabis reform marked in October the one-year anniversary this month of Biden’s mass marijuana pardon, and his scheduling directive by calling him to do more. This includes extending the scope of relief he had with his pardon, and by explicitly supporting federal legalization.
Two GOP Senators, including the Republican lead sponsor of an marijuana banking bill which was approved by a key committee back in September also filed legislation at the end of last year to prohibit federal agencies from rescheduling Cannabis without tacit consent from Congress.
, meanwhile a coalition of Republican Congressmen, has urged DEA “reject” top federal health agency’s recommendation to reschedule cannabis , and instead keep it under the most restrictive category in the CSA.
Marijuana Study Comparing U.S. And Canada Finds Broad Legalization Support And Similar Use Rates Despite Differing National Policies
Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
The post Marijuana Advocacy Planned ‘Largest bipartisan’ Push for Federal Reform at Pre-4/20 D.C. Event As Rescheduling Decision Looms first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
