[February 5, 2020 – Longport, New Jersey] – Last week, Brigid Callahan Harrison, Democratic candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s second congressional district, met with leaders at the National Cannabis Industry Association. The following is a summary statement Brigid provided regarding her stance on the legalization of cannabis and criminal justice reform:

I support the legalization of regulated buying and selling of marijuana.

The federal government should decriminalize marijuana by removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, because families should not be torn apart due to a loved one being incarcerated on a minor marijuana charge.

It is imperative that the federal government take the lead on this issue. Currently, because of varying state laws, over 31,000 New Jerseyans and 660,000 Americans are arrested each year for doing something that many states have legalized. Federal, state, and municipal governments invest $3.6 billion enforcing marijuana laws, costing governments about $4390 per arrest, while ten states have legalized marijuana. This perpetuates an unequal system in which the poor are often subject to different rules than those who can travel to use marijuana recreationally, and one in which taxpayers are forced to bear the enormous fiscal burden of enforcement.

For me, the most important component of legalization centers on issues of social justice and legal fairness: I support policy that directs the federal courts to expunge prior convictions, allows prior offenders to request expungement, and requires courts to conduct re-sentencing hearings for those still under supervision. Today prior convictions create a form of economic discrimination that prevent those convicted of low-level marijuana possession charges from attaining employment and may be used against those convicted in civil matters, including in custody
determinations and adoption decisions.

I want to ensure all people are given the same rights and are not discriminated against, so in Washington I will support legislation to prohibit the denial of any federal public benefit because of the possession of marijuana or prior conviction of a marijuana offense.

Another important consideration of legalization centers on social justice and economic fairness. As Congresswoman from the second congressional district, I would support the levying of a 5 percent sales tax on marijuana and marijuana products to create a dedicated revenue stream to assist those negatively impacted by the policy of criminalized marijuana, including job training and re-entry and other services needed by those returning to their communities.

Communities, too, need to be made whole, and small business development grants should be funded to ensure that communities that have paid the price for criminalized marijuana are given the opportunity to thrive and prosper through legalization.

Finally, an important component of legalization involves the creation of a regulatory structure that serves to address the public policy concerns of each cannabis product that would be available to consumers. In Congress, I would support the creation of such a structure housed in existing government agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Tobacco Tax Bureau, which are specifically and uniquely qualified address the important public policy questions associated with the legalization various cannabis products.

Arrests for low level marijuana possession have disproportionately decimated the lives of people of color. High levels of incarceration have torn apart families, wreaked havoc on communities, and burdened municipal governments that often are not only charged with enforcing existing drug laws, but then also providing the support for those left behind when a loved one is sent to jail for a low level drug conviction. The implementation of a legalization policy must lead attempt to remedy the injustices that have been perpetrated in the past.

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