A man displays medical marijuana from a Massachusetts medical marijuana dispensary in Salem.
Jonathan Wiggs | The Boston Globe | Getty Images
Senate leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday reiterated his call to legalize marijuana at the federal level, saying he hopes to end the drug ban by April 20 next year.
“Hopefully, the next time this unofficial holiday, 4/20, rolls around, our country will have made progress in tackling the massive marijuana overcrime in a meaningful and comprehensive way,” Schumer said on the upstairs room.
Schumer said the war on drugs has “all too often been a war against people, especially against people of color.”
“I believe the time has come to end the federal ban on marijuana in this country, and I am working with Sens. Booker and Wyden on legislation to do just that,” he said.
In February, Schumer and Sens. Cory Booker, DN.J., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Released a joint statement calling for restorative justice for people convicted of cannabis crimes.
The senators then said they would publish “a proposal for a unified discussion on comprehensive reforms” early this year and that passing the legislation will be a priority for the Senate. The design has yet to be released.
The House recently passed legislation allowing banks to partner with cannabis companies in states where cannabis is legal, which was seen as a step towards allowing more commercial, federal use.
That legislation is now awaiting Senate approval.
So far, 15 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use by adults, and 36 states allow medical use of the drug.