Political Quotes

“I thank the distinguished chairman for yielding and for his tremendous leadership, as well as all of my colleagues who have worked on the MORE Act. Richard Nixon began the failed war on drugs a little over 50 years ago, in 1971. At the time, there were less than 300,000 Americans incarcerated in this country. Today, there are 2.3 million, disproportionately Black and Latino. Many of those individuals who have been incarcerated are there because of nonviolent drug offenses, often marijuana possession and use. The United States of America incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, including per capita China and Russia combined. That is a stain on our democracy. We have an overcriminalization problem in America. We have a mass incarceration problem in America. We have a prison industrial complex in America. It doesn't advance public safety, and it hurts economic development. It has ruined individuals, ruined lives, ruined families, and ruined communities, particularly in communities of color. It is time to end the Federal cannabis prohibition. It is time to deschedule it. It is time to decriminalize marijuana. It is time to invest in communities in a way that makes sense, both from a public safety standpoint as well as a fairness, equity, and justice standpoint. It is time to pass the MORE Act.”