On Monday, Chuck Schumer, the newly appointed Senate Majority leader reiterated that cannabis bills would be a governmental priority in his chamber.
During his initial public comments on marijuana policy after Democrats became the chamber’s majority and gave him the leadership role, Chuck asserted that state cannabis policy change will be included in the racial justice debate that legislators will pursue during the 117th Congress. It’s a sign to activists that Schumer’s pre-election promises to advance decriminalization were not empty.
The senator stated that when it boils down to cannabis reform, the matter intersects both economic and racial justice.
He pointed out to MSNBC’s Maddow Rachel that when a young adult is arrested for minor possession of cannabis, the criminal record would taint the rest of his life thus hindering his productivity as a citizen- this won’t recruit him and that won’t recruit him. He added that there’s a lot to do and the state has to succeed.
The comments were a response to Rachel’s attempt to highlight his top governmental priorities for 2021. First, he highlighted climate change, then featured marijuana in a debate about racial and economic inequality and ended by talking about election and democracy reform.
Although Schumer didn’t explicitly call for authorization during the interview, he has previously stated that he’s committed to ascending the far-reaching bill under the Democratic majority.
During October, he said that he would make efforts to table his Marijuana descheduling reform to the floor in case Democrats garnered enough positions to place him at the Senate’s helm.
He said at the time that he’s vehemently against racial justice, and the cannabis regulations have been among the biggest instances of racial injustice, thus changing them is prudent.
Chuck has become a big supporter of comprehensive marijuana reform. In 2019, he seconded reform activists who argued that approving a reform to safeguard banks that finance the cannabis sector wasn’t sufficient.
