[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 58 (Friday, April 1, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H4119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            AFFIRMATIVE STEPS TOWARD CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

  (Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Madam Speaker, as the conversation around 
the country centers on the legalization of marijuana, we must 
simultaneously address the criminal and racial justice issues embedded 
in this conversation.
  Despite cannabis usage rates between White and non-Whites being 
similar, Black Americans are arrested for cannabis offenses at a rate 
of nearly four to one compared to Whites.
  For decades, the war on drugs has been a tool to target Black and 
Brown Americans. As a result, their life trajectories have been 
impacted negatively.
  The MORE Act would create a Community Reinvestment Grant Program, 
which would provide funding for communities negatively impacted by the 
war on drugs. These grants would be used for the development of 
expungement processes, employment programs, and substance use disorder 
treatment. These reinvestments are imperative for our communities and 
our country.
  I am proud that I voted to pass the MORE Act today as an affirmative 
step toward the criminal justice reform.

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