By U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer | New York Amsterdam News | Word In Black

(WIB) – This week, Americans across the country will come together to celebrate our freedom and independence—but our current marijuana laws remind us that we still have a long way to go to achieve true freedom and justice for all.

For decades, millions of Americans—most often Americans of color—have had their lives ruined by the failed War on Drugs.

America’s broken drug policies have disproportionately filled our prisons with Black and Latino Americans who, in many instances, possessed small amounts of marijuana. Studies show Americans of color have been arrested at rates nearly four times higher than their white peers despite similar levels of marijuana use. 

The cycle of incarceration must end, and our imprecise and counterproductive drug policies need to be fixed.

I am the first Senate majority leader in U.S. history to call for the complete de-scheduling of marijuana, ending its federal prohibition once and for all. I have seen both the immense potential of commonsense drug laws at the state level, as well as the horrible consequences of outdated policies. 

That’s why I was proud to see President Biden take a major step toward reversing the harms of the War on Drugs by announcing that his administration’s Drug Enforcement Agency is reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule 1 to a Schedule 3 drug.

The Drug Enforcement Agency’s decision is the most significant change in federal drug law in decades. Under the new Schedule 3 classification, cannabis will be recognized for its medical use. The move will also open the doors to conducting more research about its benefits, and potentially lower taxes for cannabis businesses.

But the work is not finished. Under the president’s announcement, cannabis is still not decriminalized. This is where Congress must step in.

Recently, I introduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) alongside Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and 15 more of our Senate Democrat colleagues. Our legislation would finally end the federal prohibition on marijuana and expunge past convictions for people charged with low-level, nonviolent offenses.

It would call for commonsense safety guidelines, like guidelines on how marijuana products are labeled; require new standards to prevent impaired driving; and require Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support research into cannabis’s health impacts. 

Our bill would also tear down long-standing barriers for a healthy marijuana industry to develop lawfully, by making sure that cannabis and cannabis-related businesses—particularly small businesses—have access to critical financial services to help them succeed in this booming industry.

I strongly believe that to end the harmful effects of the War on Drugs, something far more sensible must take its place. Our bill would provide a good solution, and I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this legislation as soon as possible.

Reforming America’s drug laws as they relate to cannabis is a step that aligns with the overwhelming majority of the American people. A national survey from last month showed that 88% of Americans—nearly 9 people in 10—agree that marijuana should be legalized for medical or recreational use. In fact, roughly 90% of Americans live in states that have legalized cannabis for medical or recreational use.

The consensus at the state level is hard to dispute: Cannabis decriminalization has been popular and successful, and it’s time the federal government caught up with the science and with public sentiment.

Now is the time for the federal government to seize the momentum and embrace an approach to marijuana policy led by science, justice, and common sense. As Majority Leader of the Senate, I will continue to make marijuana reform a top priority and will never stop until we finally achieve meaningful change.

Chuck Schumer is the Senate Majority Leader and represents New York State in the U.S. Senate.

This post was originally published on New York Amsterdam News.