Bipartisan Legislation to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition Filed in U.S. Congress

Bipartisan Legislation to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition Filed in U.S. Congress

A bill to end the prohibition of marijuana on the federal level has been filed in Congress with bipartisan support.

The Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017 was filed yesterday by Representatives Tom Garrett (R-VA) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI). It would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances, which would end its prohibition on the federal level, allowing states to decide what marijuana policies they want to follow.

The proposal is identical to a measure filed in 2015 by Senator Bernie Sanders.

“I have long believed justice that isn’t blind, isn’t justice”, Representative Garett said in a press release about the bill’s introduction. “Statistics indicate that minor narcotics crimes disproportionately hurt areas of lower socio-economic status and what I find most troubling is that we continue to keep laws on the books that we do not enforce. Virginia is more than capable of handling its own marijuana policy, as are states such as Colorado or California.”

Garrett continued; “this step allows states to determine appropriate medicinal use and allows for industrial hemp growth, something that will provide a major economic boost to agricultural development in Southside Virginia. In the coming weeks, I anticipate introducing legislation aimed at growing the hemp industry in Virginia, something that is long overdue.”