Thread by @JacksonLeeTX18

I support the #MOREAct because it accomplishes three very important things:

1. Removes marijuana, or cannabis, from the list—or the schedule—of Federally controlled substances.

2. Sets up a taxation structure to collect a sales tax on marijuana, which would increase from five to eight percent over five years.

3. Expunge and seal Federal marijuana convictions and resentence offenders, as appropriate.

The continued enforcement of cannabis prohibition laws results in over 600,000 arrests annually, disproportionately impacting people of color who are almost four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than their White counterparts, despite equal rates of use.

We must undo the damage that has been done to our communities since marijuana was arbitrarily placed on the list of controlled substances back in 1970.

Thousands of men and women have suffered needlessly from the federal criminalization of marijuana, particularly in communities of color.

Here are the facts:

Black men receive drug sentences that are 13.1 percent longer than sentences imposed for White men and Latino are nearly 6.5 times more likely to receive a federal sentence for cannabis possession than non-Hispanic Whites.

In 2013, simple cannabis possession was the fourth most common cause of deportation for any offense and the most common cause of deportation for drug law violations.

According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, nearly 84% of the more than 2,000 marijuana offenders who were federally sentenced in 2018 were people of color.

Only 11% were white, although nearly 60% of the U.S. population is white.