Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and New Jersey’s Cory Booker released a letter Thursday asking senators whose states have legalized marijuana and those who sit on committees with oversight of federal drug policy to share their thoughts as the three attempt to perfect the legislation.
“Hundreds of millions of Americans live in states that have legalized cannabis in some form while it remains illegal at the federal level,” they wrote.
“This discrepancy leads to confusion and uncertainty and raises significant questions around criminal justice reform, economic development and small business growth, and public health and safety, all of which we believe require some type of federal answer.”
The three released a 30-page draft last year that detailed possible changes to several policy areas where state laws and the federal classification of marijuana as a Schedule I illegal substance don’t line up.
So far, they’ve received more than 1,800 comments with “substantive and detailed policy recommendations,” but the three want to hear more from their fellow senators in the coming weeks.