Today in cannabis news: The Connecticut state Senate passes a recreational cannabis legalization proposal; new federal research indicates that illegal cannabis trafficking cases have been declining in the U.S.; and a first-of-its-kind proposal to federally legalize the ownership of all existing illegal drugs is presented in the U.S. Congress.
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** First up: During a special legislative session this week, the Connecticut state Senate passed a recreational cannabis legalization proposal with a vote of 19–12. In the meantime, Governor Ned Lamont (D), who has been a strong supporter of legalization, has warned of a veto to the bill due to its social equity qualification regulations.
The governor’s administration released a statement saying that the bill may be vetoed by Gov. Lamont because of a clause that would give anybody with a previous cannabis charge or sentence preferential access for cannabis licensing regardless of the individual’s income. Consequently, an amendment was passed to resolve this issue by establishing an income cap for those candidates.
Last week, the Senate approved a roughly comparable measure with an even smaller 19–12 vote, but House members indicated moments before the regular session ended that movement on that floor would be postponed till this week’s special session. Amidst Republican opposition and some Democratic doubt, they have frequently stated that they have the votes necessary to implement the policy shift.
** Next up: According to new research from the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC), federal cannabis trafficker charges continued to drop in 2020 as additional states implement cannabis policy reform.
Per a revised data report, the USSC looked at the prevalence of drug smuggling charges and discovered 1,118 cannabis cases in fiscal year 2020, a 67% decrease from 2016, when many recreational cannabis industries began to develop.
Proponents claim that the yearly reduction is due to the rising amount of states that have legalized cannabis, as well as a federal shift away from prosecuting cannabis cases despite continued prohibition as the War on Drugs keeps losing public backing.
This is the most recent study to indicate that the effectiveness of statewide cannabis legalization campaigns is linked to a decrease in federal cannabis charges. Activists claim that as more legalization measures are enacted, most of the illicit cannabis sector, such as that coming in from Mexico, is dwindling. As a result, there are less raids and investigations for federal authorities to handle.
** Last up: In the U.S. Congress, a first-of-its-kind proposal to legalize the ownership of all existing illegal drugs on a federal level and to encourage states to comply has been presented.
The bill is sponsored by Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Cori Bush (D-MO), and it intends to encourage a public safety and scientific strategy to tackle substance abuse. The measure, known as the Drug Policy Reform Act (DPRA), was written in collaboration with the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA).
The bill, which will be submitted later this week, will mark the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s directive of a drug war that has resulted in mass imprisonment, unequally affected people of color, and have made lasting impacts on Americans who have been stigmatized for obtaining such federally illegal substances.
Persons arrested with illegal substances for individual consumption would no longer face jail time under the measure. Courts would continue to have the discretion of issuing a monetary penalty, but if an individual can not pay it, the fine may be dismissed.
Notably, the bill would delegate drug classification to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), instead of the Justice Department, with the goal of shifting the approach to one focused on public health.
