Legislation was introduced this week in the Senate that would decriminalize the use of marijuana at the federal level and create dedicated funding streams for women and minority business owners to produce and sell the drug. The legislation was introduced by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who said that his world view on Marijuana has “evolved.”
“The time has come to decriminalize marijuana,” Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement. “My thinking, as well as the general population’s views on the issue has evolved, and so I believe there’s no better time than the present to get this done. It’s simply the right thing to do.”
While the legislation would decriminalize the level one drug, it would not affect laws that prevent the trafficking of the drug to states that have not legalized it. The legislation will also allow for a dedicated study of the effects that the drug has on highway safety, fund research for medical marijuana treatments and how effective the drug would be in curing illnesses
The move comes after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced legislation last week that would legalize hemp, a form of marijuana which doesn’t contain THC, and is produced for industrial use. McConnell wants to vote on the measure in the next couple weeks. If passed, the new law would have wide ramifications for his state of Kentucky, which is the leading producer of hemp in the U.S.
Washington D.C.’s delegate, Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton, said she plans to introduce legislation that would make medical Marijuana legal in public housing, which includes federally funded homes, like section eight housing. She also plans to speak at The National Cannabis Festival in Washington.
“Individuals living in federally funded public housing who are prescribed legal, medical marijuana should not fear eviction for simply treating their medical conditions,” Norton said. “Our legislation should attract bipartisan support because it also protects states’ rights.”
Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Bernardo Fuller via Army.mil