Democrats in Congress have introduced a new marijuana resolution that urges officials to ensure equity in the industry and address the effects of the war on drugs, while pushing President Donald Trump to take the lead in pushing for global cannabis reform at the United Nations.

Representatives Troy Carter (D-LA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Lateefah Simon (D-CA) and Dina Titus (D-NV) — leaders of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus — introduced the latest version. Implementation of the Resolution on Emerging Cannabis Trades (RESPECT). on Thursday, along with additional sponsors.

The measure is largely the same as the version presented in the last session, with some additions.

“For decades, tough cannabis laws devastated Black, Brown and low-income communities. Today, those communities face new barriers, many of which prevent them from taking advantage of the opportunities offered by a multibillion-dollar industry,” Omar said in a press release.

“Congress has a responsibility to ensure that cannabis policy expands access to capital and invests in entrepreneurs whose communities are most affected by outdated drug laws,” he said.

The resolution calls for “actions to increase equity within cannabis policy and the legal cannabis market,” not only by promoting state and local decriminalization, but also the adoption of specific “best practices” around regulated markets.

The measure states that Trump should instruct administration officials to use the US’s “voice, vote and influence” to encourage the United Nations (UN) and its United Nations Commission on Drugs (CND) to “remove cannabis from international drug control treaties, abolish and pardon cannabis-related penalties, abolish and pardon penalties related to cannabis for pre-cannabis crimes, study and analyze the effects of cannabis control and international controls. legal goods”.

Carter said the ban on cannabis had “failed our community” and “disproportionately harmed people of color by driving mass incarceration, destroying families, taking away opportunities and burdening criminal records.”

“It’s time for the federal government to address the racial disparities in the cannabis space and create inclusive pathways for people to access economic wealth,” he said. he said.

According to the proposal, states and local governments are encouraged to “take appropriate action and take bold steps” to enact a variety of reforms designed to address disparities in participation in legal marijuana markets and to “address, reverse, and resolve the most devastating effects of the war on drugs.”

The section of the resolution on trends in reform was revised from the last version to note that Colorado and Washington State were the first to regulate cannabis more than a decade ago, and the states “have generated a total of nearly $25 billion in revenue from the use of legal mature sales of marijuana products.”

It also changed that Germany, among other European countries, has taken steps to end the ban within their borders since the previous version was introduced in Congress.

“We need to elevate the role of equity in the legal cannabis market and take bold, deliberate action to close persistent disparities,” said Simon. “The war on drugs has devastated communities of color, and it’s long past time to repair the damage and move beyond outdated and punitive cannabis policies.”

“I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this Resolution, which will serve as a significant step toward economic and restorative justice,” he said.

Titus, for his part, said: “For too long federal and state governments have unfairly prosecuted the use of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug.”

“The RESPECT Resolution is a critical step toward policy that addresses the disparities caused by outdated cannabis programming and the so-called Drug War,” he said. “As co-chair of the Cannabis Caucus, I am advancing solutions that will once and for all end the cycle of unjust incarceration and unequal enforcement.”

Among the best practices the legislation encourages are fundamental reforms that are currently at odds with federal laws on the books, such as eliminating criminal penalties for the use and possession of marijuana, and ensuring that public benefits such as housing cannot be denied to someone because of a cannabis conviction.

It calls for the creation of automatic expungement or record sealing processes for cannabis offenses, processes for re-sentencing those convicted of crimes whose sentences have been reduced or expunged, and “suspect-based drug testing for non-safety-related jobs.”

The latest version includes additional additions, such as requiring the country to “take a proactive approach and consider and consider laws and policies regarding interstate commerce and their potential impact on differences in the cannabis market.”

It also now encourages the adoption of policies that promote “fair labor standards and practices” in the cannabis market and “the creation of a robust education campaign to inform the public of important legal and public information, including consumer education, and the development of public education campaigns to prevent youth access and drive the impairment of cannabis.”

The resolution is also co-sponsored by Reps. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ). It is supported by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), Last Prisoner Project (LPP), Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) and NORML.

“The Drug Policy Alliance is proud to support the RESPECT Resolution, which calls for urgent action to ensure cannabis markets and policies are fair for all communities,” said Cat Packer, DPA’s director of drug markets and regulation.

“Highlighting state and local best practices, supporting global decriminalization and calling on states to end criminal penalties, restore rights and ensure fair participation in the emerging cannabis economy, the resolution sets a clear path to meaningful reform,” he said. “At a time when criminalization remains the law of the land and inequality remains deeply embedded in the cannabis market and politics, this resolution is timely and critically needed.”

Jason Ortiz, LPP’s director of strategic initiatives, said the organization is “grateful to the sponsors of the RESPECT Resolution for their leadership in addressing the deep racial and economic disparities created by decades of the criminalization of cannabis.”

“This resolution recognizes that while state cannabis laws have evolved, too many people and communities are still living with the consequences of outdated federal policies,” he said. “By calling for clean records, community investment, and fair licensing, this resolution serves as a vital reminder that those most harmed by prohibition must be able to participate in and benefit from any legal cannabis market.”

Morgan Fox, NORML’s political director, said it’s “important to remind lawmakers of the ongoing harms caused by marijuana prohibition and the opportunities to begin addressing them through common sense legislation.”

“This resolution should call on Congress to prioritize the repeal of failed criminalization policies, as well as a plan to do so in a way that aims to repair the damage caused by decades of unfair enforcement,” he said.

The measure is being introduced on the same day that bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers introduced a bill. allow doctors to administer Schedule I drugs such as psilocybin and MDMA to patients with life-threatening conditions.

Mike Latimer’s photo.