A coalition of more than 100 organizations—including NAACP, ACLU and Human Rights Watch—is coming together to call on congressional leadership to pass far-reaching legislation that would not only federally legalize marijuana but take additional steps to repair the damage of the war on drugs, which has been waged in a racially discriminatory manner.
"We are encouraged by the progress around marijuana reform at the state and federal level," the groups wrote, pointing to rapidly changing local cannabis laws and a growing number of pending proposals on Capitol Hill. "While this progress is promising, we insist that any marijuana reform or legalization bill considered by Congress include robust provisions addressing social justice and criminal justice reform."
The organizations are specifically backing the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, a bill filed last month by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).
Among other things, the legislation would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, create processes for expungement and resentencing of prior convictions and block agencies from denying access to federal benefits or citizenship status for immigrants on the basis of marijuana use.
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NAACP, ACLU And Allies Demand Congress Pass Marijuana Bill With Justice Focus
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