While folks are talking about weed....

[tishaLA]

I just want to make note of the fact that a bill co-authored by a candidate in the Democratic primaries has co-authored a bill with Rep Nadler to decriminalize weed and help those harmed by the draconian marijuana laws. It's being marked up in the Houe Judiciary Committee starting tomorrow

Link to tweet

[Celerity]

1. seems like this may come up at the debate nt

[dewsgirl]

5. I certainly hope so.

[ms liberty]

2. K&R. n/t

[alwaysinasnit]

3. It seems to be working for Portugal (decriminalizing drug usage).

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/05/portugals-radical-drugs-policy-is-working-why-hasnt-the-world-copied-it

[warmfeet]

10. This is the model

we should all be looking at.

No, not a bikini model. The model for helping people. The model that actually works.

[Gothmog]

4. Here are Joe Biden's actual positions on this issue

Link to tweet

[tishaLA]

6. I'm not discussing Biden. I'm discussing Sen Harris and Rep Nadler

and the bill they worked on together that's going into markup tomorrow

[LakeArenal]

9. If you don't want comments post it on the Harris page.

[tishaLA]

11. I didn't say I don't want comments

I said this isn't about Biden. I's about Harris and her efforts with Nadler to pass a bill related to weed decriminalization.

[LakeArenal]

12. But the other guy was talking about Biden🤷🏼‍♀️

[tishaLA]

15. It's basically a non sequitur

[LakeArenal]

16. Thought it was a free thought discussion board.

Except in the designated candidate forum.

[Quixote1818]

7. Yes, that thread got out of control since Biden is for legislation

I even made the mistake of not reading all his positions in the OP.

[aeromanKC]

13. Nice to see top candidates like Biden and Harris talking about decriminalizing weed

Kudos to Biden and Harris.

[paleotn]

14. Good!

We seem to all bein agreement. So in 2021 I suggest we enact said policy, freeing up more than enough space in various federal pens for 45, Barr, Miller, the spawn and the rest of the cast of American Grifter.

[progressoid]

18. Biden advisors, "IXNAY on the Atewaygay Ugdray Ingthay!"

[LiberalLovinLug]

8. Good for Kamala

She may have been over zealous in her previous role as a prosecutor against pot possession. So its good to see her make up for it.

[NCLefty]

17. I can't imagine Republicans agreeing to spend all that money on PoC:

And wait until Fox News gets a hold of it. :/

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act:

- Decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level by removing the substance from the Controlled Substances Act. This applies retroactively to prior and pending convictions, and enables states to set their own policy.

- Requires federal courts to expunge prior convictions, allows prior offenders to request expungement, and requires courts, on motion, to conduct re-sentencing hearings for those still under supervision.

- Authorizes the assessment of a 5% sales tax on marijuana and marijuana products to create an Opportunity Trust Fund, which includes three grant programs:

- - The Community Reinvestment Grant Program: Provides services to the individuals most adversely impacted by the War on Drugs, including job training, re-entry services, legal aid, literacy programs, youth recreation, mentoring, and substance use treatment.

- The Cannabis Opportunity Grant Program: Provides funds for loans to assist small businesses in the marijuana industry that are owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.

- The Equitable Licensing Grant Program: Provides funds for programs that minimize barriers to marijuana licensing and employment for the individuals most adversely impacted by the War on Drugs.

- Opens up Small Business Administration funding for legitimate cannabis-related businesses and service providers.

- Provides non-discrimination protections for marijuana use or possession, and for prior convictions for a marijuana offense:

- - Prohibits the denial of any federal public benefit (including housing) based on the use or possession of marijuana, or prior conviction for a marijuana offense.

- Provides that the use or possession of marijuana, or prior conviction for a marijuana offense, will have no adverse impact under the immigration laws.

- Requires the Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect data on the demographics of the industry to ensure people of color and those who are economically disadvantaged are participating in the industry.

---

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act has the support of a broad coalition of civil rights, criminal justice, drug policy, and immigration groups.

It mentions federal expungements. I wonder if that would affect drug crimes prosecuted at state (or lower?) level. Alas, IANAL.

[loyalsister]

19. "and enables states to set their own policy."

Suggest to me that there would be room for states that are against it to set policies that are consistent with their policy makers and voters leanings.

[loyalsister]

20. WOW!

"spend all that money on PoC"
In the book Dear White America, Tim Wise mentioned that white people loved federal grant programs and even welfare of the 1950s. What happened to that sentiment? Answer: PoC became eligible after the civil rights act. AND, the GOP, spent a lot of time promoting a fallacy that PoC benefited disproportionately based on the racist stereotype that they were lazy. The greatest irony of it all, is that white people are and always have necessarily been the majority of beneficiaries because there are simply more of us. The same phenomenon is reflected in all illegal drug use. More white people exist in the US thus, the numbers of illegal drug users of all kinds are white people. Marijuana legalization, would therefore benefit white people at least as much as everyone else.

[The Mouth]

21. A mixed record, at least in San Francisco

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/09/11/kamala-harris-prosecuting-marijuana-cases/