John Fetterman D continues to push for cannabis policy reform.
Booker said in a pre-recorded video at the Cannabis Opportunities Conference that a majority of Americans support legalization, "we know that this has opportunities." According to Marijuana Moment, there is hope for policy change considering state and nationwide support for legalization of marijuana. We need to continue to improve our focus, vision, and strategies to make sure that we expand fairness, equality and opportunity in our criminal justice system. The outline of the Cannabis Administration Opportunity Act CAOA was introduced in July 2021 by PA State Sen. Sharif Street D Booker, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer D-N.Y. and Sen. Ron Wyden D-Ore. The proposal seeks to remove prior convictions and allow people serving time for applicable crimes to petition for resentencing by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act CSA.
Booker urges the federal government to get involved with the program, especially when it comes to equity, as marijuana policy reform picks up steam across the country.
He said that the legalization movement has to focus on removing barriers to justice for marginalized communities. This movement has to be about expanding economic opportunities and democratizing those opportunities. This movement has to do with not allowing us to move backward in any way, but continuing to take strides forward towards justice. Fetterman, a long-time cannabis advocate, talked about the expungement - a one-time, large-scale pardon effort from Gov. Tom Wolf and Fetterman, who is chairman of the State Board of Pardons. Pennsylvanians who have been convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana can apply to have their records cleared under the program that got underway earlier this month.
Fetterman said Pennsylvania is a place for second chances, and that the joint effort will help people get pardons quickly for stupid weed convictions. Fetterman, who is running for a Senate seat, has recently urged President Biden to derelawize marijuana from Schedule I drugs and work to decriminalize it. Shortly after that, Fetterman and the President crossed paths in Pittsburgh and discussed possible changes to the status of cannabis under the CSA prior to Biden's Labor Day at a union hall.