Blog de Dunlap: Danielle, add your name if you agree that it’s time to legalize marijuana

Danielle,

It is time for our federal government to join the 21st century and legalize marijuana.

But we can't stop there. We must also ensure justice for people who are incarcerated right now — or have been incarcerated — for non-violent cannabis-related charges.

Add your name if you agree, and let's work together to make the federal legalization of marijuana happen.

ADD YOUR NAME

You know, most Americans already live in a state where marijuana is legal for recreational use. Nearly 3 in 4 live somewhere where it's legal either medicinally or recreationally. And 88% support some form of legalization.

Washington needs to get with the program.

But I'm not holding my breath for the Republican House of Representatives to leap into action and legalize cannabis.

So I've called on the Department of Justice to take its own steps and deschedule marijuana. Right now, marijuana has the same legal status as heroin, and is labeled as more dangerous than fentanyl or cocaine, which makes no scientific sense.

Descheduling would allow for research on medicinal marijuana, tackle criminal penalties that disproportionately hurt Black and Brown communities, restore access to public housing or nutrition assistance for individuals who use marijuana recreationally, and more.

For years, I've stood with those who called on multiple administrations to issue pardons to people convicted of federal non-violent cannabis offenses. President Biden has taken historic steps on that front. And we've seen similar movement at the state level, including in Massachusetts. But we can't stop there.

Look: It's not justice when we lock up kids caught with an ounce of pot, while hedge fund managers make millions off of the legal sale of marijuana. We can regulate the cannabis industry so it's safe and legal. And by reinvesting the tax revenue earned from marijuana sales, we can begin to rebuild communities devastated by the policies of the failed War on Drugs, and ensure that those communities are equally able to participate in the cannabis industry.

I'm going to stay on this — and I'd be grateful to have you fighting by my side.

Danielle, add your name to say you support the federal legalization of marijuana — and the pardoning of individuals convicted of non-violent cannabis offenses so we can start to right this historic wrong.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth