April 20th is a day of note in the United States for good reason. The day is infamous for its significance in cannabis culture and smoker routinely set their alarms for 4:20 to ensure they follow in the footsteps of the now-infamous Waldos who coined the term and embedded the lingo into our lexicon.
Today, several events unfolded of note that sent shockwaves throughout social circles, in and out of cannabis culture. We’ll begin with the headlines.
While the controversy surrounding the legality of cannabis and the failed War on Drugs has been fomenting for decades, today marked a significant milestone to refute both failed policies.
On April 20th, 2021, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) stated that he and a group of fellow senators were actively forming legislation to end the national prohibition of cannabis. While the legislation is not ready to present in its current state, it is said to be ready “in the near future”.
In a statement earlier today, he and two of his colleagues who are participating in the drafting of said legislation, Senators. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), acknowledged the unique significance of 4/20 and referred to the occasion as “a very unofficial American holiday.”
Senator Schumer hasn’t been a vocal advocate in favor of ending the prohibition of cannabis. However, he acknowledged his perception of cannabis had “evolved” alongside a nationwide shift that has seen more than 30 states legalize medical marijuana and nearly 20 states that have fully legalized recreational use among adults.
Sen. Schumer and his colleagues not only support citizens’ right to partake or not, but they also acknowledge the longstanding biases connected to the war on drugs and the systemic targeting of poor and minority populations.
“Senators Booker, Wyden and I are going to continue to work on our legislation and in the near future we hope to have a draft of a comprehensive reform effort,” Schumer stated, asserting the group’s efforts to “ensure restorative justice, protect public health and implement responsible taxes and regulations” as they seek to end prohibition. Schumer acknowledged, “It’s time for change. I believe the time has come to end the federal prohibition on marijuana in this country.”
Sen. Schumer and supporters in the Senate of cannabis reform have made it known that they intend to move forward with introducing such legislation regardless of President Biden’s stance on the issue. President Biden currently does not support the full legalization of recreational cannabis for adults. However, Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary has stated that the current administration’s stance is to leave legalization for recreational use up to the states. Psaki added in a press conference Tuesday that the administration is in support of decriminalization, expunging prior criminal records associated with cannabis, and legalizing medical marijuana. On the subject of President Biden’s stance on the topic, Senator Schumer remains optimistic, offering that he’d prefer to give the President, “a little time to study it … but at some point, we’re going to move forward, period.”
“Hopefully the next time this unofficial holiday of 4/20 rolls around, our country will have made progress in addressing the massive over-criminalization of marijuana in a meaningful and comprehensive way,” Schumer said.
While this event took place a day before 4/20/2021, it is no less significant. The House of Representatives passed a bill, the SAFE Banking Act, essentially giving the OK to banks to accept funds from cannabis corporations and small businesses while also providing their services to those same businesses.
For many years banks kept these dollars at a healthy distance for fear of federal penalty for dabbling in a grey market. Now, those same banks are allowed to provide their services to cannabis businesses in states where cannabis industries have been legalized by the state legislature.
The bill itself was passed by a vote of 321-101 and will make its way to the Senate as a result.
The American Bankers Association has been heavily lobbying in favor of the Safe Banking Act, with a statement from the group asserting that, “Banks find themselves in a difficult situation due to the conflict between state and federal law, with local communities encouraging them to bank cannabis businesses and federal law prohibiting it. Congress must act to resolve this conflict.”
On 4/20/2021 a big surprise came out of Birmingham, Alabama when its mayor, Randall Woodfin announced that he would be issuing pardons for 15,000 convictions for minor marijuana convictions. The pardons will span convictions levied on individuals between the years 1990 and 2020.
Alongside his announcement of the pardons, Mayor Woodfin also tweeted, “These pardons are a strong start, but our work is far from done. Join me in telling the State of Alabama to completely decriminalize marijuana.”
While the possession of marijuana is still a crime in Alabama, programs like Pardons for Progress, introduced in 2019, aim to get lesser marijuana charges pardoned and sealed so that individuals have better employment prospects moving forward.
Woodfin’s Twitter thread explained his reasoning and elaborated on the purpose of the program, “Here’s why we’re doing this – no one should be held up by a single past mistake. No one should be denied job opportunities or freedoms due to missteps from the past. No longer will these residents be bound to their past. They deserve a chance to be part of our workforce, to provide for their families, and to achieve success on their own. That new life starts rights here, today, with forgiveness and redemption.”
Medical marijuana is currently under consideration among lawmakers in the southern state. However, past legalization efforts have proven unfruitful.
