Cory Booker: “I wish to introduce the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act CARERS Act. This commonsense…”

“I wish to introduce the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act CARERS Act. This commonsense legislation would make our Federal marijuana criminal laws fairer and more in line with our values and ensure that medical marijuana is more accessible to the millions of Americans who need it for treatment purposes. I thank Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Rand Paul for joining me on this bill, and I appreciate their hard work on this legislation. The CARERS Act would clarify how the Federal Government handles medical marijuana in the States. Currently, 23 States and the District of Columbia have passed laws legalizing medical marijuana for qualified patients. But the Federal Government still bans medical marijuana and treats the people who use it with contempt. It is time we end this backward approach toward a substance that helps treat millions of Americans, including veterans, who suffer from debilitating diseases. Today, the Federal Government classifies marijuana as a schedule I drug, meaning it lacks a recognized medical value and it has a high potential for abuse. Incredibly, marijuana shares the same classification with such drugs as heroin or LSD-substances that no one disputes are incredibly dangerous and harmful. Schedule II is the next controlled substances category for drugs deemed to have some medical use, such as cocaine and methamphetamine.…”