Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has said that he would be introducing a federal marijuana bill “shortly.” According to Schumer, the bill would not only legalize but would also expunge past records.
“Here’s the immediate time frame,” he told podcast host and former South Carolina representative Bakari Sellers. “The three people working on a comprehensive bill are myself, Senator [Ron] Wyden and Senator [Corey] Booker, and we will be introducing our bill shortly.”
“We’re going to get some support from the right on this, we hope,” Sen. Schumer said. “It’s going to take a little while, we’re going to need a mass campaign, but there’s real excitement in the country to do this right now.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki last month said President Biden’s position hasn’t changed, and he supports “decriminalization.”
House Passed Federal Decrim Last Year; McConnell Blocked
The House passed legislation to decriminalize Canabis at the federal level in December, the first time either chamber ever voted to do so. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who was Senate Majority Leader at the time, refused to let the Senate vote on the bill.
But now, with the Democrats controlling the Senate thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote, things are different.
Schumer spoke to Cannabis legalization supporters at a rally in New York last month. He celebrated his home state’s recent legalization law. The Senator added it’s time to bring the fight to the federal level.
“What we have accomplished in New York is just the beginning,” Schumer said. The Senator was addressing the NYC Cannabis Parade & Rally. “We’re going to transfer that energy to Washington.”
