Us Conference Of Mayors Asks Obama Administration For Marijuana Policy Reform

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US Conference of Mayors Asks Obama Administration for Marijuana Policy Reform

 

On Monday, the United Sates Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a resolution calling on the Obama administration to stop interfering with state and local efforts to legalize medical and recreational marijuana.

 

The resolution was co-sponsored by eighteen mayors, including those from San Diego, Las Vegas, Tacoma, and Oakland.  It details a long list of complaints and concerns that the mayors have with marijuana prohibition as well as the Obama administration’s reactions to how states have attempted to deal with marijuana prohibition.

 

Some of the issues tackled in the resolution include the prominence of crime and violence in the black market, recent polling that shows support of individual states handling the issue of marijuana and drug laws, as well as racial disparities in drug arrest statistics.

 

The mayors also requested that marijuana be rescheduled from Schedule I to a lower classification so that more medical research can be conducted on marijuana.  Additionally, they asked that the Controlled Substances Act be amended to allow states and localities to manage marijuana laws as they see fit without risk of federal interference.

 

Tom Angell, spokesperson for Marijuana Majority explained, “Their resolution will amplify the voices of local officials and voters who are sick and tired of President Obama’s administration doing the exact opposite of what candidate Obama said he was going to do, which was respect state marijuana laws.”

 

Mason Tvert of the Marijuana Policy Project explained, “We commend the U.S. Conference of Mayors for taking action in defense of state and local efforts to move beyond the failed policy of marijuana prohibition. 

 

Our nation’s marijuana policy should reflect the facts about marijuana. If our federal government is unwilling to adopt evidence-based marijuana laws, it is up to states and localities to pick up the slack.”

 

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