Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democratic vice presidential candidate, said legalizing marijuana would give people unfairly targeted by criminalization a “first shot at making money” in the legal cannabis industry. He says a combination of policies is needed.
“Our laws have a disproportionate impact on certain communities, and certainly on Black communities,” Walz said in a campaign speech in North Carolina last week.
“Laws surrounding cannabis disproportionately impact and set back people in these communities,” he said. “So when we talk about this in Minnesota and when[Vice President Kamala Harris]talks about this country legalizing recreational marijuana, it's important to remember that the most adversely affected communities are getting money from those industries. Make sure you get the first chance to earn.”
Walz also said racial disparities in marijuana criminalization were a motivator for reform, as Minnesota lawmakers were instrumental in passing the adult-use legalization bill that was signed into law last year. Ta.
Democratic presidential candidate Harris recently reiterated that her support for federal legalization is centered on an understanding of Prohibition's disparate impacts and the need to advance social justice policies in a growing industry.
If elected, she would work to “legalize marijuana nationally and work with Congress to ensure that the safe cultivation, distribution, and possession of recreational marijuana is the law of the land.” “We will break down the unjust legal barriers that hold back other Americans.” Harris' campaign said earlier this month.
Harris and Walz share the belief that prohibition should be replaced with a system of legalization and regulation, but the governor should not weigh in on the federal legalization prospects, but instead allow states to develop their own cannabis It focuses primarily on the right to legislate.
He also said this month that there is “national work to be done” to address the issue of state-licensed marijuana businesses not being able to access banks, and if voters give Democrats a majority in both parties. , suggested that enacting such modest reforms would be easier. Congress hall.
Meanwhile, Harris also said this month that part of the reason the government's efforts to change the current marijuana program are slow is because of the federal bureaucracy, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), that is “slowing things down.”
As another ticket to next month's election, Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump is backing Florida's marijuana legalization initiative, as well as marijuana banking reform and schedule changes, which will be on the ballot in the coming days.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), President Trump's running mate, has expressed support for allowing states to decide their own marijuana policies, but he also says that enforcement efforts should be stepped up. and has repeatedly complained about the smell of marijuana. Additionally, he has repeatedly sounded the alarm about fentanyl-laced marijuana, only recently acknowledging that the problem is not widespread.
The Harris-Waltz campaign, meanwhile, accused Trump of lying about his support for marijuana reform and argued that Trump's “blatant pandering” contradicts his administration's record on marijuana.
After President Trump recently announced his support for a Florida marijuana legalization ballot measure, Democratic campaigns have been working to reassure voters that Trump “rolled back marijuana reform” during his time in office.
Separately, on Thursday, singer and marijuana icon Willie Nelson hosted a virtual “Cannabis Community for Kamala” event, and Colorado Gov. Jared Nelson hosted a virtual “Cannabis Community for Kamala” event to drum up support for the Democratic president. The event will feature notable speakers such as Polis (Democratic), Congressman Whoopi Goldberg, and others. Prior to the election, he became a candidate emphasizing his record on marijuana reform.
Federal appeals court plans oral arguments in case seeking to overturn U.S. marijuana prohibition
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