Mary Gay Scanlon: “Like my colleague, the distinguished member of the Committee on Rules from Georgia, I, too, hope that the renewed…”

“Like my colleague, the distinguished member of the Committee on Rules from Georgia, I, too, hope that the renewed interest in both Houses in passing COVID relief yields fruit sooner rather than later. It does require that the Senate make it a priority, and I have been advised that the Senate's priority this afternoon once again is confirming another conservative judge. So we will both have to hold out hope as we move forward. Mr. Speaker, I am here today, pleased to rise in support of today's rule and the underlying legislation, the MORE Act. It becomes clearer by the day that the time is long overdue for the Federal Government to bring its marijuana policy into the 21st century. The current approach has failed our youth, has failed to stem more harmful drug usage, and, most notably, has failed communities of color across the United States. That is because, when it comes to marijuana, there are two justice systems in the United States: a gentler, more understanding system mostly available to White Americans, and a punitive, less-forgiving system primarily enforced against Black and Brown Americans. Mr. Speaker, this isn't justice. This is not who we must be as a nation. Thousands of people, mostly younger Black and Brown men, remain incarcerated, while a growing number of States, including Pennsylvania, have decriminalized and legalized marijuana for medicinal and recreational use.…”