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Gillibrand backs marijuana legalization across the U.S.
Feb 15, 2018 1:30 pm
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced Feb. 14 that she is cosponsoring legislation to legalize marijuana nationally. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker's Marijuana Justice Act has not moved very far in the Senate so far, with Gillibrand and Vermont's Bernie Sanders the only other backers. The bill would also expunge the records of Americans who have prior marijuana possession convictions. “Millions of Americans’ lives have been devastated because of our broken marijuana policies, especially in communities of color and low-income communities,” Gillibrand statement Feb. 14 read in part. “The reality that my 14-year-old son would likely be treated very differently from one of his Black or Latino peers if he was caught with marijuana is shameful. Legalizing marijuana is a social justice issue and a moral issue that Congress needs to address, and I’m proud to work with Senator Booker on this legislation to help fix decades of injustice caused by our nation’s failed drug policies.” New York's other senator, Chuck Schumer, has not signed on but was quoted in Forbes saying, "I believe that the states should continue to be the labs of democracy when it comes to recreational and medical marijuana.... Let each state decide."