Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., visited Cheddar News to discuss cannabis reformation and how prohibition has disproportionately affected people of color over the years. He is advocating for legislation that will “try to find restorative justice from these decades of prohibition that have put people in a situation where they can't even feed their family because with a felony conviction for doing things that congresspeople and senators have done, they can't get a job at a fast-food restaurant.”


Closing Bell

Sen. Cory Booker on Finding Justice Through Cannabis Reform

Well, just two weeks ago, the cannabis administration and Opportunity Act introduced to Congress by its sponsors, Democratic senators, Cory Booker chuck schumer and Ron Wyden more than a year after the bill was first announced, the legislation would remove cannabis from the federal list of controlled substances but likely faces stiff opposition in the full Senate. Well, U. S. Senator Cory Booker joined cheddar news reporter Chloe Aiello to discuss the path forward for cannabis legalization. Senator. Thank you so much for joining us now. You've officially introduced the Ceo act and it contains changes from the draft legislation unveiled last year, notably revisions including drug testing policies, federal standards for drug driving and banking provisions, among other things. But it doesn't reduce a hefty 25% excise tax for big companies or the F. D. A. S. Role in regulating cannabis, which were two areas of concern among the cannabis industry. So how are you feeling about what the bill contains now and its odds of passage as well? Well, it's a light years jump from anything that's ever been proposed before. This is the most comprehensive bill of marijuana. I started introducing those marijuana when I first got to the Senate because I saw its devastating impact on low income communities. In other words, in my college life, from stanford to Yale, people use marijuana. Presidents have admitted to doing it. Congress people senators have but the people who disproportionately get criminal convictions for marijuana possession, our low income often black and brown folks. And so we've been trying to get a bill that's a balance and trying to make a way for the business and industry to grow and thrive to be inclusive and fair and also to try to find restorative justice from these decades of prohibition that have put people in a situation where they can't even feed their family because with a felony conviction for doing things with Congress, people and senators have done, they can't get a job at a fast food restaurant. So I'm happy about where we are. I'm happy that this bill is gaining more momentum. Just the names you read this the first time in american history that a majority leader in the Senate has joined a end cannabis prohibition bill. And I'm hopeful that we can get something done uh in the coming year. Now, you famously said, Senator quote, I will lay myself down unquote to prevent passage of a bill like safe banking that benefits corporations before a restorative justice focused bill. But with midterms around the corner, under what conditions would you now support, safe banking and what would have to be included? Again, it would have to be a safe banking Plus bill. Um I know there's a lot of small businesses that are really suffering right now who can't access the financial industry to get loans for it, that they can't find a way to get uh out of using this enormous sums of cash which end up making them targets for criminal activity. So I know the urgency for safe banking for the little woman or little guy uh in terms of getting this done. Um, but I also know that if we get that done, which is being pushed by large corporations, uh, and other large financial interests, we will leave behind the millions of americans who've had themselves or their families affected by these low level drug trades. Remember in 2019 there are more marijuana related convictions in America than all violent crimes combined. And again, disproportionately low income and minority. So there's got to be things from opening up S. B. A. Loans to small businesses because right now the industry has about one purse, minority participation in terms of the ownership of of of retailers. Um, so we want to make sure that people who are getting in have a level playing for accessing capital expungement of records, which is really important. Um and other things that I think should not be that hard to get in some kind of compromise. You said you were hopeful that something will happen before the midterm elections. How likely is it that you will get enough of your senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle on board to pass some sort of cannabis reform before then. And you know, what would that look like? Well, again, I look at this more as this Congress and midterm elections through january. Are the windows we have a chance to get something done. Remember we are seeing things that folks don't realize from abortion as we saw in Kansas red state overwhelmingly voting in support of reproductive rights all the way to red states on referendums voting overwhelmingly in favor of legalization. Uh, these are issues that I think are bigger than our normal partisan divide and when it comes to marijuana, um, I think that there's a lot of senators who come from states where it's legalized, um, that are now beginning to realize that they've got to do something to help these businesses out. And so there's, there's conversations going on. I'm very encouraged by them. This is a long way from when I first got to the Senate and democrats wouldn't even talk to me about this issue. So I'm very hopeful that we can get something done before the end of this Congress now, Senator as you've already made it clear, you're an outspoken advocate of equity in the cannabis industry. Why is it so important to you to see people who have been harmed by past punitive drug laws included in this new industry. Look, I'm the only senator that lives in a low income, black and brown neighborhood. I've lived here since I started my time in, in, at a law school in the neighborhood I live in and I've seen how low level marijuana convictions destroy lives and it was so offensive to me, uh, to go to these elite academic institutions and see the same kinds of drug use. But having a very different justice system If you were privileged verse, if you were a low income. And that's wrong, we we cannot be a nation where, as one author calls it, where there's a new jim crow. In other words, we're going to over incarcerate for nonviolent drug offenses, uh low income people, black and brown people, veterans, uh and we're gonna not turn our blind eye towards the other people that are breaking laws. Remember from the vice president to former presidents, we've had people talk openly about their drug use that did not have legal consequence for their lives. Why should it be so impactful, permanently impactful? Uh Two young people in my community who are gonna carry for the rest of their lives. Every every application that they make for a loan, every application they make uh for a job. I have to check that box that they have a non violent marijuana related crime. So I want to make sure that everybody's rushing to legalize. Don't forget about the people who have really suffered from and their families who have really suffered from uh marijuana prohibition. Ok. Again, a big thanks. Their U. S. Senator, Cory booker and our own Chloe Aiello for breaking down the legislation