Political Quotes

“I thank my dear colleague. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3884, the MORE Act. Since the war on drugs began, the Nation's prison population increased from 300,000 to a staggering 2.2 million people behind bars. In the decade between 2001 and 2010, 8.2 million people were arrested on marijuana charges. Nearly 90 percent of those arrests were for simply having marijuana. Most troubling is the fact that, despite equal use rates, Black Americans are four times more likely than White Americans to be arrested for marijuana. People of color have disproportionately borne the burdens of these draconian policies, facing longer prison sentences and the lifetime economic consequences of having a criminal record. Generations of Black and Hispanic communities have suffered--families ripped apart, businesses shuddered, educations unfinished. This is neither law nor order; it is injustice. Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity here to right our wrongs. The MORE Act is a sweeping effort for equity to our criminal justice system by removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and requiring Federal courts to expunge prior convictions. The bill goes a long way to reduce racial disparities that plague our criminal justice system. Marijuana reform is long overdue. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for bringing the bill forward.”