One of the most pressing current issues for cannabis advocates across the country is how U.S. senators, including GOP party members, plan to vote on multiple pieces of federal legislation to end the prohibition of cannabis. Ten or more GOP senators, as well as every Democrat vote, would be needed to pass.
Shortly after the advancement of the MORE (Marijuana Reinvestment and Expungement) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, a journalist from CNS News confronted several senators at the Capitol on April 5 and asked them if they themselves consume cannabis. The senators disagreed on whether or not cannabis should be legalized and left up to states to decide—almost entirely on party lines.
CNS News asked Senator Ted Cruz, “The House voted last week to legalize cannabis. Do you use cannabis, and if not, why not?”
“I don’t because it’s illegal and because it’s harmful to you, Senator Cruz replied. “It’s not healthy.” Senator Cruz has flip-flopped back and forth on the topic of cannabis over the past several years.
Forbes Senior Contributor Kris Kane listed Senator Cruz as one of “The 5 Worst U.S. Senators on Marijuana Policy.” One can only wonder why he was included on the list, despite occasionally being on the side of cannabis when it suits him.
Senator Cruz’s statement was followed up by other GOP senators, including Senators James Lankford and Rick Scott. When also asked if he consumes cannabis, Senator Lankford said, “Do I use it? No, I absolutely do not.”
Lankford added that consumers need to follow the science. “I understand the House is going to try and skip the science and say we’re not going to look into that because people use it; we’re just going to allow it,” said Lankford. “But increasing the use of cannabis doesn’t make our streets safer, doesn’t make our workplaces safer; it doesn’t make our families stronger.”
Senator Rick Scott said, “Okay, I don’t support that. I’ve had family members who have had a lot of drug issues, and so I’m not going to do it.”
One Democrat was also interviewed. Senator Elizabeth Warren was also asked if she smokes cannabis by a CNS News correspondent, and alluded that you don’t have to consume it to understand that cannabis should be legalized. “I don’t use it, but I believe it should be lawful,” she said. “We need to regularize our banking laws and our tax laws around a business that will bring in billions of dollars for users and take a lot of risk out of a system right now that is legal in some places, but illegal at the federal level, and it makes no sense.”
April 1, the U.S. House of Representatives voted and passed the MORE Act, or H.R. 3617, in a floor vote. It’s the second time the U.S. House of Representatives approved the bill as the historic piece of legislation makes its way to the Senate.
The MORE Act was approved on a mostly party-line 220-204 vote. A previous version of the bill was approved in December 2020—also on a mostly party-line vote—and was the first comprehensive cannabis policy reform legislation to receive a floor vote or be approved by either chamber of Congress.
“Specifically, it removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana,” the bill summary reads.
The MORE Act faces what some call an uphill battle, as it would need GOP support to approve the bill and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk.
Wow, really disgusting comments from Cruz and Scott. Naturally they cited no statistics. Just reiterated what elderly voters grew up on. These dinosaurs are on the way out.
Do they act stupid because they are or because it is convenient. My guess is both.
We should concentrate more on locking up the real ‘criminals’ . . . corrupt politicians for starters. . . Scott stole millions from Medicare. . . he is more dangerous than anyone who has been locked up for smoking weed.
Wow. Some people politicians make me so angry!!! I am sure Big Pharma keeps their pretty little palms greased! I suffer from PTSD from loosing a child, my back is broken in 5 places, so there’s plenty of pain, I have left temperal love epilepsy, and on top of that, I have severe anxiety. If I took all the drugs I was prescribed, I would no doubt be just a crazy addict, if not locked away somewhere. Cannabis is the only thing that helps me. I mean totally, appatite and all. Only where I live, I have to break the law to get the medicine I need smh. Even though it’s legal just across the state line, literally less than an hour from me
Smoke softly and carry a big stick. [with nails in it].
They who oppose it should Be CHARGED,FIRED,FINE,And JAILED! For OPPRESSION And DENING US OUR CIVIL RIGHTS! Not to Mention it HEALING PROPERTIES And it RIGHTFULLY MEDICAL BENEFITS Should be CLASSIFIED HAS MEDICINE!
due to the present “illegal’ status of cannabis at the federal level their exists a vast real “illegal’ cannabis market via street sales that remains very active in selling cannabis of unknown purity to anyone at any age without control. The majority of street sales is dried cannabis. the consumption is by smoking. SMOKING tabacco products has long been declared as unhealthy. Removing cannabis from the federal schedule of class 1 narcotics and treating it the same as alcoholic beverages from beer to brandy,,,,,this will redirect consumption away from smoking street pot towards a safer healthier cannabis produced with state oversight and controls on the production of edibles with controls placed on potency levels and limits of quantity thereby removing the unhealthy practice of smoking pot not to mention the unsafe activity of the street purchasing of cannabis that has been cultivated and grown and harvested and dried and then released to criminal groups to sell illegally without any testing or examination by state health agencies to insure the purity of the street cannabis. If the senate does not vote to de criminalize cannabis and release the legalized adult use to the 50 individual states illegal cannabis sales and revenue to illegal suppliers will not only remain active it will expand. State regulatory authority will provide certain standards that will continue to provide an illegal status to those who violate states control laws same as the state laws that control alcohol.
The opposing Senators comments are hypocritical stating its “unhealthy” and “to follow the science”. Yet cigarettes kill 480,000 Americans a year (1 out of 5 deaths are contributed to cigarettes) and that’s legal/OK… and then you have Senator Lankford stating that it “doesnt make our streets safer” as marijuana fuels cartels and street gangs profits since it is “illegal”. He even goes as far as saying “it doesnt make out families stronger” however 55% of domestic abuse perpetrators” were fueled by alcohol which is legal. I’m not saying to ban cigarettes or alcohol, but I’m stating facts. Senators follow their own agendas and are hypocritical with their statements. It’s so frustrating, but Americans can vote these dinosaurs out of office… so it’s up to the masses to ensure the liars and hypocrites do not continue to govern our states and legislative systems.