Lawmakers introduce bill to make marijuana legal at the federal level

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and other congressional lawmakers have reintroduced a bill to make marijuana legal at the federal level.

News 12 Staff

Mar 1, 2019, 1:40 AM

Updated 1,877 days ago

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Lawmakers introduce bill to make marijuana legal at the federal level
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and other congressional lawmakers have reintroduced a bill to make marijuana legal at the federal level.
The Marijuana Justice Act would remove cannabis from the list of controlled substances. People who have served federal time for marijuana use and possession would automatically see their convictions expunged.
Booker, who is a 2020 presidential candidate, says that low-income people and people of color are disproportionally affected by the current laws.
“For their lifetime, they don’t qualify for public housing. In some states, for their lifetime, they don’t vote. How can we elect presidents who have used marijuana, but not let people vote for a president for the rest of their lives because of such a charge?” the senator asked.
Booker introduced a similar bill in 2017 but it did not advance past the Senate.
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