Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) held a meeting with a variety of marijuana reform and other advocacy groups last week to discuss social equity issues as he prepares to introduce a much-anticipated cannabis legalization bill this year. While activists involved in the Tuesday meeting told Marijuana Moment that Schumer again gave vague details about the timeline for filing the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA), saying it will be done “soon,” he did say that he also expects committee hearings to follow after its introduction. Marijuana banking, immigration issues related to cannabis, and the implementation of New York’s adult-use marijuana program were also discussed at the Zoom meeting, which lasted a little under an hour. Schumer characterized the discussion as an “exciting meeting on social equity in federal marijuana reform” in a tweet on Friday. “We’re working to end the prohibition & ensure equity for communities impacted by the War on Drugs—[especially] communities of color.” Representatives of the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition (CRCC), Immigrant Defense Project, Women Grow, VOCAL-NY, and Rochester NORML participated. “Sen. Schumer has consistently stood with small and minority-owned businesses. We were glad to share hard-earned lessons for how Congress can ensure that the communities most impacted by the war on drugs are set up for success,” Shaleen Title, who attended as vice-chair of CRCC, told Marijuana Moment.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 01/31/2022 10:54:00