In remarks made today, United States Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that marijuana legalization has been proven successful at the state level, while reiterating his desire to see a change in federal marijuana laws.
Senator Chuck Schumer (photo credit: J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press).
At a speech today at the National Cannabis Policy Summit, Schumer said “My commitment to ending federal prohibition on cannabis remains as strong as ever. As many of you know, cannabis reform is an issue I’ve cared about and I’ve been working hard on, for years. And as many of you know, momentum is now in our favor.”
Schumer says “Here in Congress, we’re making some good progress”, while making note of the fact that a marijuana banking bill was approved by the Senate Finance Committee in September with bipartisan support.
Schumer said “Cannabis legalization has proven successful at the state level. It’s high time that Congress catches up with the rest of the country. Of course, we know none of this is easy, especially in divided government. We need all of you to continue reaching out to members, especially Republican members, so we can make cannabis reform a reality.”
Last week Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with Senators Ron Wyden and Cory Booker, announced that they will soon file federal legislation to legalize recreational marijuana.
The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) would require the US attorney general to finalize rules removing marijuana as a controlled substance within 180 days, while placing a 5% federal excise tax on marijuana producers, which would increase to 12.5% by the fifth year.
