We’ve been here before. In the third straight year of attendance at the New York marijuana rally, Senator Schumer vowed to pass the marijuana banking bill, SAFE Banking. He also promised to attached expungements and “social justice”.
“We will put the bill on the floor—god willing we get the votes in committee—and we will add to it expungement of the records of all of those who suffered from the over criminalization of marijuana,” said Schumer. ”The SAFE Banking Act is a good thing.”
“We need to do social justice and attach it to the SAFE Act and pass it together. So I’m with you all the way. I can’t wait when we’ll come back and celebrate here in Union Square in the near future and say cannabis is legalized in all of the United States of America.”
As Marijuana Moment notes, the last time Schumer was at this event, he was touting his federal legalization marijuana bill. However as the days pass, that seems less and less likely to pass in Congress’ current form, so the banking bill is a much easier target for Schumer to shoot at.
As to where the SAFE Banking Act stands, it has repeatedly gotten stuck in the Senate after passing the House multiple times. This has happened with both Democrat and Republican control, and there is nothing that would point towards any different conclusion this time around.
In fact, a bipartisan piece of legislation was just blocked by Senate Republicans that would have required studies into medical benefits of marijuana for veterans suffering PTSD. The staunch rejection of marijuana policy in the Senate is as stiff as ever.
So Schumer’s promise to pass the banking act may continue to be hollow, as long as Republicans are in power in the Senate.
Read the original story at Marijuana Moment.
