Luckily, the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act is still alive and bipartisan support continues to grow. They’re calling it a criminal justice issue.
Representative Thomas Garrett from Virginia sponsors the bill to lift the federal restrictions on marijuana, according to The Hill. The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act has 11 co-sponsors.
The increase of support has slowed a bit since the Trump administration appears to be rejuvenating the war on drugs.
The bill’s sponsor wasn’t always a supporter of marijuana. He does, however, believe that there are “redeeming medical uses for cannabis.”
Garrett said, “The first time I heard the term ‘medical marijuana’ 25 or 30 years ago, I probably chuckled.”
He used to prosecute marijuana offenders in Virginia. He said, “My background on this issue is shaped by my own experience as a criminal prosecutor, where in fact, I did enforce the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia as they relate to marijuana, and some would say, did so quite vigorously.”
He was tired of “creating criminals out of people who otherwise follow the law.” He changed his stance on marijuana and is now fighting hard to legalize it.
Garrett said, “If there’s anything I cannot tolerate as a citizen and as a prosecutor, it is the unequal application of justice.”
Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii has similar opinions.
Gabbard said, “Every 42 seconds someone is arrested for the use or possession of marijuana, turning everyday Americans into criminals, tearing families apart. The question before us is not whether you think marijuana use is good or bad, or how you feel about this issue, but whether we should be turning people into criminals.”
Photo: mauitime.com