It’s time to legalize and decriminalize cannabis.
This plant is already legal for recreational use in 18 states and Washington, D.C., and for medicinal use in 37 states and D.C.
Communities like mine have been ripped apart by the failed war on drugs. It’s unacceptable that we’re still sending folks — disproportionately Black folks, poor folks, and young folks — to jail and prison over it.
That’s why I promise when we defeat Rand Paul, we will fight for the legalization and decriminalization of cannabis on the federal level, and for transformative criminal justice reform.
I support the full legalization and decriminalization of cannabis for both recreational and medicinal use because I’ve seen how this so-called “war on drugs” has turned into a war on people — especially people who look like me.
I’ve seen families in my community become targets of a system that thrives off the mass incarceration of brown and Black people.
Full legalization and decriminalization of cannabis will allow us to empower people instead of prosecuting them. It will allow us to spend fewer taxpayer dollars on needlessly locking people up and to bring in much-needed additional revenue for state and local governments.
We’re seeing waves of change beginning in other parts of the country. State leaders are taking the initiative to move toward criminal justice reform and to re-frame the conversation around cannabis.
Thank you,
Charles
