Congressional committee ready to tackle marijuana reform

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The House Judiciary Committee could address the issue “fairly soon”

During a hearing on an election reform bill by the House Judiciary Committee, the conversation went off topic, leading to marijuana and legislative reform. In the words of the Committee’s chairman, Jerry Nadler, he said that the topic of reform would be up for discussion “fairly soon.”

In what may have been an intentional prodding to determine where the chairman stood on the subject, Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida reached out to congratulate Nadler for being appointed chairman, adding that he hoped the committee will be more proactive on marijuana. He added, “I will say I had hoped that at one of our initial meetings we would have been giving powers back to the states in the form of removing cannabis from the list of Schedule I drugs rather than taking powers from the states. I’ll also note that with some of the new additions on the Republican side, I think the committee would be very favorable” to marijuana reform.”

Nadler, who is a supporter of marijuana legalization, responded, “Let me just observe on your time that we may be discussing that fairly soon.”

Nadler was appointed to the same committee that provides federal oversight of agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency. In his position, he has the capacity to either push – or stall – any type of cannabis reform legislation. Michael Collins, the director of the office of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, said in an interview with Marijuana Moment, “It’s great to see Chairman Nadler talk positively about the prospects for marijuana reform this session. Our hope is that whatever the committee does is grounded in racial and social justice and rights the wrongs of prohibition.”


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