The Marijuana Justice Act (S.1689) was a 2017 bill to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, sponsored by U.S. Senator Cory Booker. [1] An identical bill, H.R.4815, was introduced in the House of Representatives. [2] The bill was reintroduced in 2019 and co-sponsored by a number of contenders for the Democratic Party's nomination for U.S. President in the 2020 election, including Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Michael Bennet, and Bernie Sanders. [3] [4] In February 2019, it was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. [5] The bill introduced by Senator Booker in the 2017–2018 Congress was called "among the most notable efforts" around legalization in that session. [6] Besides removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, the bill also sought to set up a community reinvestment fund, provide for expungement of past drug convictions, and penalize states that enforce cannabis laws disproportionately (regarding race or income status). [7]
