The post The Marijuana Justice Act: What It Is And Why It’s Critical appeared first on High Times.
Earlier this month, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that he would get rid of a longstanding “hands-off” policy that for years restricted federal agents and funds from going after states with legal weed. Now, pro-legalization lawmakers are responding to his attempts to start a federal crackdown on state-legal weed. On Wednesday, a group of House Democrats introduced The Marijuana Justice Act.
This bill would dramatically change federal cannabis laws. But what exactly is The Marijuana Justice Act? And why is it so important?
What Is The Marijuana Justice Act?
The bill was introduced this week to the House by Representatives Barbara Lee and Ro Khanna, both from California. It is the House version of a bill introduced last fall in the Senate by New Jersey’s Senator Cory Booker.
When Sen. Booker first introduced The Marijuana Justice Act last August, it was hailed as “the single most far-reaching marijuana bill that’s ever been filed in either chamber of Congress.”
And for good reason. This bill goes way beyond simply making cannabis legal.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the most important parts of The Marijuana Justice Act:
- It calls for the federal legalization of cannabis.
- The bill would expunge all federal convictions for possessing or using cannabis.
- It would earmark $500 million for a “community reinvestment fund.” This money would provide job training. Most of the funds would go into communities that have had disproportionately high numbers of weed arrests.
- The Marijuana Justice Act would also cut federal funds for law enforcement and prison construction in states where weed arrests have