Historic steps on marijuana reform in the U.S. Senate

President Biden recently announced major progress on marijuana policy reform, and this is our moment to push Congress to act on marijuana justice.

The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) is the first comprehensive marijuana reform bill ever introduced in the U.S. Senate. It would deschedule marijuana to end federal prohibition and begin to repair the damage by expunging marijuana convictions and reinvesting in the most harmed communities.

We need your help to do it again in the new Congress and keep pressure on the Senate to act. Urge them to pass the CAOA so we can advance marijuana justice nationwide.

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Your Message

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Dear Senator,

Message Body

I’m excited that the Senate has taken an historic step forward with the introduction of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA). It builds off the House-passed MORE Act and would deschedule marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act to end federal prohibition and begin to repair the damage by expunging marijuana convictions and reinvesting in those most harmed due to unfair, racist enforcement such as Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities.

I urge you to cosponsor the CAOA and support its passage in the upper chamber. Senate action is long overdue. An overwhelming 91% of U.S. adults say that marijuana should be legal for recreational or medical use. Despite the popularity of marijuana across the country, there are hundreds of thousands of marijuana arrests in the U.S. every year.

I hope the Senate will pass the CAOA with strong justice and equity provisions like the MORE Act which passed the House twice. Comprehensive reforms are urgently needed for a new path forward. It’s time to end federal criminalization of marijuana and align the public’s view with federal law, while allowing individual states to decide the course they want to take on marijuana. Marijuana must be declassified as a controlled substance under federal law along with expungement of marijuana convictions, and reducing marijuana sentences. Marijuana tax revenue should fund services in communities adversely impacted by drug prohibition and build up programming to support a more diverse and inclusive legal marketplace.

I hope the Senate will act quickly to ensure the CAOA is passed so Congress can finally end federal marijuana prohibition and fully repair the harm it’s causing to our communities. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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