The Bengal Bite 🐯 | Rising Tide of Legalization | June 19, 2020
With the protests that have been roiling the United States these past few weeks, the country has been faced with difficult questions about the criminal justice system. Given its illegal status at the federal level, cannabis has been in direct conflict with the criminal justice system since it was made illegal in 1937. Questions about reform have been at the forefront of the industry for generations, and those questions have only become more complicated by the "rising tide of legalization" beneath the industry.
U.S. cannabis consumers overwhelmingly support criminal justice reforms (see this week's first article below), and with a vast majority of Americans in support of cannabis legalization, questions around reform will only become more pressing, especially as state and local governments face pressure to tap the industry for the tax revenue and jobs created by legalized cannabis.
The Bengal Capital Team
Study: 76% of U.S. cannabis consumers want criminal justice reform
"[Cannabis consumers] support the movement towards a more just society, one that gives back to communities in need, provides greater opportunities to black business owners and makes amends to those who were imprisoned under now defunct cannabis laws in legal states by expunging their criminal records." Read more on this recent survey of 20,000 cannabis consumers in Yahoo News here.
Biden-Sanders task force members push for legalizing marijuana and other drug reforms
"Two members of a criminal justice task force organized by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and former rival Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) recently discussed why they feel the criminalization of marijuana is an untenable policy." Read more on the Democratic Presidential Task Force here in the Marijuana Moment.
Nevada pardons thousands convicted of marijuana possession
The state of Nevada voted unanimously to pardon thousands of people convicted of possessing a small amount of marijuana. Nevada joins other states such as Illinois and Washington in pardoning marijuana convictions following the legalization of cannabis. Read more on Gov. Sisolak's plans for cannabis pardons in the Tahoe Daily Tribune here.
Criminalization that never should have been: cannabis
"One common pretext provided by police for [these] citizen interactions is that they suspect that someone has either used or is in possession of marijuana. That is why Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) has suggested the need to amend federal anti-marijuana laws during the recent hearing on policing practices." Read more on the history of cannabis criminalization in The Hill here.