New Democratic Congressional Marijuana Resolution Calls For Industry Equity And Pushes Trump To Advocate For International Reform At UN

Congressional Democrats have filed a new marijuana resolution that urges
officials to ensure equity in the industry and address the consequences of
the war on drugs—while also pushing President Donald Trump to take the lead
in advocating for global cannabis reform at the United Nations.

Reps. Troy Carter (D-LA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Lateefah Simon (D-CA) and Dina
Titus (D-NV)—leaders in the Congressional Cannabis Caucus—introduced the
latest version of the Realizing Equitable & Sustainable Participation in
Emerging Cannabis Trades (RESPECT) Resolution on Thursday, along with
additional cosponsors.

The measure is largely identical to a version filed last session, with
certain additions.

“For decades, harsh cannabis laws devastated Black, Brown, and low-income
communities. Today, those same communities are facing new barriers that
prevent many of them from benefiting from the opportunities offered by a
multi-billion-dollar industry,” Omar said in a press release.

“Congress has a responsibility to ensure that cannabis policy expands
access to capital and invests in entrepreneurs whose communities were most
harmed by outdated drug laws,” she said.

The resolution calls for “action to increase equity within cannabis policy
and the legal cannabis marketplace,” promoting not only state and local
decriminalization but also encouraging the adoption of specific “best
practices” around regulated markets.

The measure also expresses the “sense of the House” that Trump should
direct administration officials to “use the voice, vote, and influence” of
the U.S. to push the United Nations (UN) and its Commission on Narcotic
Drugs (CND) to “deschedule cannabis from the international drug control
treaties, expunge and forgive penalties relating to cannabis for prior
offenses, acknowledge and study the impacts of controlling cannabis through
international treaties, and treat cannabis as a legal commodity.”

Carter said cannabis prohibition “failed our communities” and has
“disproportionately harmed people of color, fueling mass incarceration,
ruining families, taking away opportunities, and burdening them with
criminal records.”

“It’s past time for the federal government to address the racial
disparities that persist in the cannabis space and create inclusive
pathways for people to access economic wealth,” he said.

Under the proposal, states and local governments are encouraged “adopt best
practices and take bold steps” to enact a number of reforms around
marijuana designed to address disparities in participation in legal
marketplaces and to “address, reverse, and repair the most egregious
effects of the War on Drugs.”

The “whereas” section of the resolution on reform trends was revised since
the last version to note that Colorado and Washington State were the first
to regulate cannabis more than a decade ago, and states have since
“generated a combined total of nearly $25 billion in tax revenue from the
legal adult use of marijuana products sales.”

It was also amended to note that Germany, among other European countries,
have taken steps to end prohibition within their borders since the prior
version was introduced in Congress.

“We must elevate the role of equity in the legal cannabis marketplace and
take bold, deliberate action to close persistent disparities,” Simon said.
“The war on drugs has devastated communities of color, and it is long past
time to repair the harm and move beyond outdated, punitive cannabis
policies.”

“I am proud to stand alongside my colleagues in introducing this
Resolution, which will serve as a meaningful step towards economic and
reparative justice,” she said.

Titus, for her part, said, ““For too long federal and state governments
have unfairly prosecuted cannabis usage as a Schedule 1 drug.”

“The RESPECT Resolution is a critical step towards policy that addresses
the disparities caused by the outdated scheduling of cannabis and the
so-called War on Drugs,” she said. “As Co-Chair of the Cannabis Caucus, I
am advancing solutions that will finally put an end to the cycle of unjust
incarceration and unequal enforcement.”

Among the best practices encouraged in the legislation are fundamental
reforms that currently contradict federal laws on the books, such as
eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana use and possession as well as
ensuring public benefits, such as housing, cannot be denied to someone due
to a cannabis conviction.

It calls for the creation of automatic expungement or record-sealing
processes around cannabis offenses, resentencing processes for those
convicted of crimes for which penalties have been reduced or removed as
well as the elimination of “suspicion-less drug testing for non
safety-sensitive employment positions.”

The latest version includes additional adds, such as a call for the country
to take a “proactive approach to consider and adopt laws and policies
regarding interstate commerce and their potential impact on disparities in
the cannabis marketplace.”

It also now promotes the adoption of policies that “promote fair labor
standards and practices” in the cannabis market and creating a “robust
education campaign to inform the public on relevant legal and public health
information including consumer education and developing public education
campaigns to prevent youth access and cannabis-impaired driving.”

The resolution is also being sponsored by Reps. Eleanor Holmes-Norton
(D-DC), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Bonnie Watson Coleman
(D-NJ). It’s being endorsed by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), Last
Prisoner Project (LPP), the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA)
and NORML.

“The Drug Policy Alliance is proud to endorse the RESPECT Resolution, which
calls for urgent action to ensure that cannabis markets and policies are
fair for all communities,” Cat Packer, director of drug markets and legal
regulation for DPA, said.

“By highlighting state and local best practices, supporting global
decriminalization, and urging states to end criminal penalties, restore
rights, and ensure equitable participation in the emerging cannabis
economy, the resolution charts a clear path toward meaningful reform,” she
said. “At a time when criminalization remains the law of the land and
inequities remain deeply embedded in cannabis markets and policy, this
resolution is both timely and critically necessary.”

Jason Ortiz, director of strategic initiatives with LPP, said the
organization is “grateful to the sponsors of the RESPECT Resolution for
their leadership in confronting the deep racial and economic inequities
created by decades of cannabis criminalization.”

“This resolution recognizes that while state cannabis laws have evolved,
far too many people and communities are still living with the consequences
of outdated federal policies,” he said. “By calling for record clearance,
community investment, and equitable licensing, this resolution is a crucial
reminder that those most harmed by prohibition must be able to participate
in—and benefit from—any legal cannabis market.”

Morgan Fox, political director of NORML, said that it’s “important to
remind lawmakers of the ongoing harms caused by marijuana prohibition and
the opportunities to begin addressing them through sensible legislation.”

“This resolution should serve as a call for Congress to prioritize
dismantling failed criminalization policies, as well as a blueprint for
doing so in a way that focuses on repairing the damage inflicted by decades
of unjust enforcement,” he said.

The measure is being introduced on the same day that bipartisan and
bicameral lawmakers filed a separate bill to allow doctors to administer
Schedule I drugs such as psilocybin and MDMA to patients with
life-threatening conditions.

*Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.*

The post New Democratic Congressional Marijuana Resolution Calls For
Industry Equity And Pushes Trump To Advocate For International Reform At UN
appeared first on Marijuana Moment.