Cory Booker among winners at November 20 Democratic Debate

It’s no secret that Cory Booker has been lagging behind the front runners in recent polls as he seems stuck at 2 to 3% support among would be voters.

But at last night’s Democratic Debate at Tyler Perry Studios Booker showed some sparks of life and definitely was one of the nights winners.

Per Dylan Matthews at Vox.com

For about 1 hour and 40 minutes, Cory Booker had a fairly standard, uneventful debate. He got in a good line about being the other Rhodes Scholar mayor on the stage, a light jab at Pete Buttigieg that didn’t land with much force. He had a confusing and forgettable exchange with Elizabeth Warren critiquing her wealth tax plan on technical grounds — a fair hit, but one better reserved for a policy paper than the debate stage.

Then the topic came to the black vote, and Booker broke through.

One of the many challenges facing his campaign so far — and Sen. Kamala Harris’s — has been his failure to break through with black voters nationwide and in South Carolina (where black voters make up a big part of the Democratic primary electorate). Former Vice President Joe Biden’s name recognition and connection to the Obama presidency have apparently been sufficient to swamp any arguments Booker and Harris have tried to make for themselves as superior champions of black voters’ interests.

So Booker decided to fight the fight directly. He first brushed off Buttigieg’s attempts to cater to black voters by noting he’s “been one since I turned 18,” and didn’t “need a focus group” to tell him what black voters think and value — a nice move that subtly undermined the implicit premise behind the question that there’s a monolithic “black vote” to be won en masse.

But then he turned to Joe Biden, and turned an electability question about race into a concrete policy disagreement, noting Joe Biden’s opposition to nationwide marijuana legalization, underlining how devastating marijuana criminalization has been to black men and black communities, and pushing Biden into an embarrassing, fumbling answer in which he claimed the support of the “the only African American woman who’s been elected to the Senate” — to which Booker simply replied, “No, the other one is here,” pointing to Harris.

To break into Biden’s base of black support, Booker needed to draw out clear policy differences with Biden and also to challenge Biden’s claims to respect and revere the black community. He didn’t even need to do the latter himself — he just put an obstacle in front of Biden and just watched as Biden tripped over it.

Congressional Black Caucus Focuses On Marijuana Legalization At Conference

Over the next two days, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation will hold four panels dedicated to marijuana policy as part of the group’s Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.

The events will feature lawmakers and advocates discussing a wide range of issues related to cannabis, including a look at the future of the industry, access to banking services for marijuana businesses and legislation to end prohibition while promoting social equity.

Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) will lead the first marijuana panel on Thursday, which is titled “The Future of Cannabis-Hemp in the United States.” Neal Levine, CEO of the Cannabis Trade Federation, will also appear in that group.

“Lawmakers are increasingly recognizing the intersections between our nation’s cannabis policies and other issues, and there is a strong and growing sense that change is needed at the federal level,” Levine told Marijuana Moment. “It touches everything from public safety, to criminal and social justice, to the economy, and the environment.”

“Public attitudes have shifted strongly in favor of ending cannabis prohibition, and its seeming inevitability has inspired members of Congress to take a far more proactive approach on the subject,” he said.

Later in the day, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), who is a co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, is set to host a panel discussion on the Marijuana Justice Act—legislation that would deschedule cannabis and also penalize states that continue to carry out marijuana enforcement in a discriminatory manner.

Drug Policy Alliance Policy Coordinator Queen Adesuyi and Center for American Progress Senior Policy Analyst Maritza Perez will participate.

“We are excited about being part of such important conversations taking place around equity and the need for reforming our marijuana laws,” Perez told Marijuana Moment. “It’s clear that public sentiment is moving toward marijuana legalization and that people and lawmakers alike recognize that we must start by repairing the harm the war on drugs brought to low-income communities of color.”

“Congress has the historic opportunity to address this harm by bringing the MORE Act to a floor vote this fall,” she said, referencing a legalization bill sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).

Adesuyi told Marijuana Moment that the volume of cannabis-focused panels is “yet another promising and historic signal of the ever increasing support for substantive cannabis reform for key members of the CBC and Congress broadly, as we work to get the most comprehensive bill [the MORE Act] ending cannabis prohibition to be introduced in Congress passed this year.”

“This year’s Annual Legislative Conference takes on special meaning as we mark the 400th anniversary of enslaved Africans arriving on our shores,” Lee said in a press release. “I’m excited to gather with my colleagues from around the country to address the most pressing issues in the African American community—ranging from the legacy of the failed War on Drugs to health disparities facing our friends and families.”

On Friday, Gia Moron, president of Women Grow, is scheduled to discuss cannabis and banking at another event.

The chair of CBC, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), will hold a two-hour panel titled “Social Equity in Marijuana Legalization,” another indicator that as Congress takes cannabis legislation back up after returning from recess, CBC members are likely to emphasize equity and restorative justice in any legislative attempts to legalize cannabis.

CBC has been a leader in promoting marijuana reform and pushing the conversation forward as it concerns racial disparities in cannabis enforcement under prohibition. The organization’s 2018 conference included two panels that also looked at social equity issues, as well as civil engagement related to marijuana.

In a policy statement released last year, CBC called for cannabis decriminalization and automatic expungements for those with prior marijuana misdemeanor convictions, noting that people “should not have to suffer today for previously illegal behavior that is now allowable in their community.”

Ending cannabis prohibition was also included in the group’s list of “must-do” policy proposals the caucus published in advance of last year’s elections that it said the House should pursue within 100 days if Democrats reclaimed the chamber.

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NJ Congressman Donald Payne statement on marijuana legalization in NJ

N.J. Congressman Donald Payne (NJ 10th District) released the following statement on marijuana legislation in the state:

Like many other states, New Jersey has suffered from disproportionate impacts of drug enforcement in minority communities, and this legislation will help rectify iniquities of the past. New Jersey is ready to move forward, and it’s time for the state’s leaders to get behind it.

— Rep. Donald Payne Jr (@RepDonaldPayne) March 20, 2019

Cory Booker reintroduces The Marijuana Justice Act

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate's Judiciary Committee, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Co-Chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), today reintroduced their landmark bill to end the federal prohibition on marijuana.

In the Senate, the bill is cosponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Michael Bennet (D-CO).

"The War on Drugs has not been a war on drugs, it's been a war on people, and disproportionately people of color and low-income individuals," said Booker. "The Marijuana Justice Act seeks to reverse decades of this unfair, unjust, and failed policy by removing marijuana from the list of controlled substances and making it legal at the federal level."

"But it's not enough to simply decriminalize marijuana. We must also repair the damage caused by reinvesting in those communities that have been most harmed by the War on Drugs. And we must expunge the records of those who have served their time. The end we seek is not just legalization, it's justice."

"The War on Drugs has destroyed lives, and no one continues to be hurt more than people of color and low-income communities," said Wyden. "There is a desperate need not only to correct course by ending the failed federal prohibition of marijuana, but to right these wrongs and ensure equal justice for those who have been disproportionately impacted."

"Millions of Americans' lives have been devastated because of our broken marijuana policies, especially in communities of color and low-income communities," said Gillibrand. "Currently, just one minor possession conviction can take away a lifetime of opportunities for jobs, education, and housing, tear families apart, and make people more vulnerable to serving time in jail down the road. It is shameful that my son would likely be treated very differently from one of his Black or Latino peers if he was caught with marijuana, and legalizing marijuana is an issue of morality and social justice. 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."

"As I said during my 2016 campaign, hundreds of thousands of people are arrested for possession of marijuana every single year," said Sanders. "Many of those people, disproportionately people of color, have seen their lives negatively impacted because they have criminal records as a result of marijuana use. That has got to change. We must end the absurd situation of marijuana being listed as a Schedule 1 drug alongside heroin. It is time to decriminalize marijuana, expunge past marijuana convictions and end the failed war on drugs."

"Marijuana laws in this country have not been applied equally, and as a result we have criminalized marijuana use in a way that has led to the disproportionate incarceration of young men of color. It's time to change that," said Harris. "Legalizing marijuana is the smart thing to do and the right thing to do in order to advance justice and equality for every American."

"Marijuana should be legalized, and we should wipe clean the records of those unjustly jailed for minor marijuana crimes. By outlawing marijuana, the federal government puts communities of color, small businesses, public health and safety at risk." said Warren.

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"This long-overdue change will help bring our marijuana laws into the 21st century. It's past time we bring fairness and relief to communities that our criminal justice system has too often left behind." said Bennet.

"Communities of color and low-income communities have been devastated by the War on Drugs," said Lee. "As Co-Chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, I'm proud to sponsor legislation that would legalize marijuana at the federal level, address the disproportionate impact of prohibition on people of color by expunging criminal convictions, and promote equitable participation in the legal marijuana industry by investing in the communities hardest hit by the failed War on Drugs."

"Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by misguided marijuana policy for far too long," said Khanna. "Rep. Lee, Sen. Booker, and I are proud to introduce this important legislation and deliver justice for so many Americans."

The Marijuana Justice Act seeks to reverse decades of failed drug policy that has disproportionately impacted low-income communities and communities of color. Beyond removing marijuana from the list of controlled substances - making it legal at the federal level - the bill would also automatically expunge the convictions of those who have served federal time for marijuana use and possession offenses, and it would reinvest in the communities most impacted by the failed War on Drugs through a community fund. This community reinvestment fund could be used for projects such as job training programs, re-entry services, and community centers.

The bill would also incentivize states through the use of federal funds to change their marijuana laws if those laws were shown to have a disproportionate effect on low-income individuals and/or people of color.

By going further than simply rescheduling marijuana with expungement and community reinvestment, Booker, Lee, and Khanna's bill is the most far-reaching marijuana legislation ever to be introduced in Congress.

The bill is retroactive and would apply to those already serving time behind bars for marijuana-related offenses, providing for a judge's review of marijuana sentences.

Full text of the bill is here.

Background on Booker's leadership on issues of marijuana and criminal justice:

Booker has seen the effects of our broken marijuana laws first-hand, dating back to his time as a tenant lawyer, City Council member, and Mayor of Newark, where he created the city's first office of prisoner re-entry to help formerly incarcerated individuals re-integrate into their communities.

In the Senate, Booker was an outspoken critic of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions' effort to revive the failed War on Drugs. Most recently, he pressed Trump's newest pick for Attorney General, William Barr, on his stance on marijuana legalization and the Cole memo, winning a commitment from Barr to leave alone states that have already legalized marijuana.

In addition to the Marijuana Justice Act, Booker is the co-author of the bipartisan CARERS Act, which would allow patients to access medical marijuana in states where it's legal without fear of federal prosecution, and the bipartisan REDEEM Act, which would allow nonviolent drug offenders to petition a court to seal and expunge their drug offenses, while automatically sealing, and in some cases expunging, the nonviolent records of juveniles. These reforms would reduce a major barrier that formerly incarcerated individuals face when attempting to rejoin society. He is also a cosponsor of the Fair Chance Act, which prohibits the federal government and federal contractors from asking about the criminal history of a job applicant prior to a conditional offer of employment. Earlier this month, the Fair Chance Act passed out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Booker was a key architect of the First Step Act, the most sweeping overhaul of our criminal justice system in a decade, which passed the Senate on December 18, 2018, and was signed into law on December 21. Booker was instrumental in adding key sentencing provisions to the package after opposing the House-passed version of the First Step Act first released in May 2018. The sentencing provisions in the final bill include: reducing the "three strikes" penalty from life in prison to 25 years; giving judges greater discretion to circumvent mandatory minimum sentences when warranted; eliminating the so-called "stacking" of mandatory minimum sentence enhancements related to certain firearm offenses; and making retroactive a 2010 law that reduced the egregious sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine -- disparities that overwhelmingly and disproportionately affect African-Americans.

Booker also successfully fought to include provisions that effectively eliminate the solitary confinement of juveniles in federal supervision.

The legislation also includes provisions Booker has long advocated for that ban the shackling of pregnant inmates and require that healthcare products be provided to incarcerated women.

America's black community has been excluded from profiting from Legalization of Marijuana

As more US states decriminalize the drug for medicinal or recreational use, America's black community has been excluded from profiting from the lucrative trade. Listen to more on this below. There is a brief 30 second commercial that is part of the recording if you wish to fast forward passed that. [SOURCE: FINANCIAL TIMES]