Marijuana advocates have been waiting anxiously for this day: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) have released their draft bill to federally legalize marijuana. But the issue has touched off a number of controversies, and White House support remains in question.
Beyond ending the decades-long prohibition on cannabis, the proposed legislation contains a litany of other provisions to promote social equity, facilitate research and repair the harms of criminalization. The three senators unveiled the 163-page bill at a press conference on Wednesday.
“This is monumental because, at long last, we are taking steps in the Senate to right the wrongs of the failed war on drugs,” Schumer said. “I was the first Democratic leader to come out for the legalization of marijuana, and I will use my clout as majority leader to make this a priority in the Senate.”
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Senators Unveil Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill To Mixed Reviews, With White House Remaining Opposed
