Cannabis summit at the Capitol in Washington first of its kind
420 Day is hailed as a smoker’s holiday, particularly by consumers of cannabis. The origin of the holiday is “cloudy.” However, every year, on April 20, many marijuana smokers rejoice and celebrate with smoke outs, festivals and music.
But this past Thursday, April 20, marked a day in American history. It was the first time that a cannabis policy event has taken place in the U.S. Capitol. The National Cannabis Policy Summit was held in the Congressional Auditorium, located in the United States Capitol Visitor Center.
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The event was a part of 420 Week, which leads up to the National Cannabis Festival, founded by Caroline Phillips. According to the official website, the National Cannabis Festival was created in 2015 by a small group of cannabis enthusiasts to celebrate the progress on marijuana legalization in D.C. and across the nation.
The festival was founded on the principles of music, education and advocacy.
Failed war on drugs
On Thursday, cannabis entrepreneurs, advocates and consumers exercised their right to petition their government. Legislators such as Republican Rep. David Joyce of Ohio and Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado answered tough questions regarding federal policies that regulate marijuana sales and consumption.
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The Congressional Forum is another promising step towards the decriminalization and ultimately, the legalization of marijuana. One of the first steps came in 2022, when President Joe Biden pardoned thousands convicted on federal charges for simple possession.
Although there is no clear legislation on the books regarding marijuana, bills like H.R.3617, or the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, have been making their way through the Capitol.
However, attendees were reminded that “things on the Hill move at a glacial pace.” The MORE Act was introduced on May 28, 2021, and sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York. The MORE Act decriminalizes marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes or possesses marijuana.
There is a general consensus that the “war on drugs” was a failure because of the targeted arrests of Black and brown people in impoverished communities, even though their white counterparts consume just as much, if not more, marijuana as them. However, bills like the MORE Act only “decriminalize” marijuana; they do not legalize it.
In the N.C. General Assembly, HB 626 was filed just three days before the Congressional Summit took place on Capitol Hill. HB 626, sponsored by Dem. Rep. John Autry of Mecklenburg County, is an act to legalize and regulate the sale, possession and use of cannabis in North Carolina.
Legalization would allow access to funding for cannabis-based small businesses.
Failed war on drugs
At the national level, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the first legislator to endorse recreational cannabis, sponsored S.910, or the SAFE Banking Act of 2021. The SAFE Banking Act prohibitsfederal banking regulators from penalizing a depository institution for providing banking servicesto cannabis-related businesses.
In HB 626, under “Findings,” it states: “Cannabis prohibition, like alcohol prohibition before it, has been a wasteful and destructive failure.”
But Cynthia Roseberry, a criminal defense attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, disagrees. She believes the war on drugs did exactly what it was designed to do — lock up minorities. Diane Goldstein, a former Los Angeles law enforcement officer with the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, echoed Roseberry’s sentiments and acknowledged the existence of systemic racism.
Goldstein remembers the introduction of Proposition 64 in California. As a law enforcement officer, she was told to take a person’s medical marijuana card and tell them to show up to court with a doctor.
The four-hour forum concluded with remarks from Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate Chuck Schumer. The senator from New York urged advocates to lobby their representatives in support of marijuana legislation.
Caroline Phillips, the National Cannabis Festival founder, awarded the Community Change Makers Award to the Marijuana Justice Coalition for its efforts in support of the MORE Act, after an introduction by Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee of California.
The entire 420 Week will be capped off by a music festival headlined by national acts 2 Chainz, Juicy J and DC favorite The Backyard Band just a mile away from the Capitol.
Salute to Caroline and every activist getting active. Peace.
Rakeem “Keem” Jones is a community advocate and father of three from the Shaw Road/Bonnie Doone area of Fayetteville. He can be reached at keemj45@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cannabis summit at the Capitol in Washington first of its kind
