[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 1, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Wyden, Mr. 
        Fetterman, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Peters, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Warnock, 
        Ms. Butler, Mr. Welch, Ms. Smith, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Markey, 
        Mr. Lujan, Ms. Warren, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Bennet, and Mr. 
        Padilla):
  S. 4226. A bill to decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, to provide 
for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the War on 
Drugs, to provide for expungement of certain cannabis offenses, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, over the decades, millions of 
Americans--most often Americans of color--have had their lives derailed 
and destroyed by our country's failed war on drugs. The consequences of 
this harmful campaign linger on to this very day. So I was pleased by 
yesterday's news that the DEA, under the Biden administration, is 
preparing to take a truly historic step: rescheduling cannabis from a 
schedule I substance to a schedule III substance under the Controlled 
Substances Act.
  Reclassifying cannabis is a necessary and long overdue step, but it 
is not at all the end of the story. It is time for Congress to wake up 
to the times and do its part by passing the cannabis reform that most 
Americans have long called for. It is past time for Congress to catch 
up with public opinion and to catch up with the science.
  So, today, I am proud to join with my colleagues Senators Booker and 
Wyden to reintroduce the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, a 
comprehensive and necessary update to the Federal Government's approach 
to cannabis. I am proud to be the first majority leader ever to call 
for an end to the marijuana prohibition because I have seen both the 
consequences of outdated drug laws and the benefits of commonsense 
cannabis regulation at the State level, and it is time for Congress to 
follow suit.
  Support for cannabis reform is growing in the Senate. Our bill now 
has 18 sponsors, the most ever for this bill. We will keep working to 
build more support because when liberals and conservatives and 
activists and entrepreneurs and veterans groups can all come together 
on one issue, that is a clear sign the momentum is real.
  I am very proud of the bill we are releasing today. Our legislation 
will finally remove marijuana from the Federal list of controlled 
substances. It will expunge the criminal records of so many Americans 
with low-level marijuana offenses that haunt them--inhibit them--for 
decades. And it will help our country close the book, once and for all, 
on the awful and harmful and failed War on Drugs, which all too often 
has been nothing more than a war on Americans of color.
  In short, our bill is about individual freedom and basic fairness. We 
cannot tolerate any longer the tragedy of the young person getting 
arrested because they have a small amount of marijuana in their pocket.
  For years, that is all it took--getting caught with a little bit of 
marijuana--for you to get saddled with a serious criminal record that 
prevented you from getting a good job, buying a home, getting ahead in 
life. And, of course, this injustice happens predominantly in Black and 
Latino communities. That is unfair. It is un-American. And our bill 
will right this grave wrong.
  In place of the War on Drugs, our bill would lay the foundation for 
something very different: a just and responsible and commonsense 
approach to cannabis regulation. It would call for new guidelines on 
how marijuana products are labeled, require new standards to prevent 
impaired driving, require HHS and NIH to support research into 
cannabis's health aspects, and more. Our bill, if passed, would close 
the door on outdated and very harmful modes of thinking at the Federal 
level, while allowing for reform and sensible regulation to take root.
  So, again, I want to thank Senators Booker and Wyden for being 
terrific partners in putting this bill together. It has been a 
longstanding effort, one that has required a lot of feedback from the 
public and a lot of perseverance.
  As Senate majority leader, I will continue to push for every chance 
we get to bring cannabis policy into the 21st century, and passing our 
bill would be an excellent way to make that happen.
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