CAPTAINSCOTTY'S CANNABIS COALITION

[cuckoo 4 cocoa puffs]

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/schumer-says-marijuana-banking-bill-will-go-to-senate-floor-with-expungements-and-social-justice-attached-at-nyc-cannabis-rally/
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke at a marijuana rally in New York City on Saturday, vowing again to pass federal cannabis banking reform legislation as Congress works to end prohibition.

Schumer was among a variety of lawmakers, officials, advocates and entrepreneurs to reflect on the progress of the reform movement at the NYC Cannabis Parade & Rally (NYCCPR), which celebrated its 50th anniversary on Saturday.

This is the third year in a row that the majority leader has participated in the event. He told attendees that there’s ample reason to celebrate, from the rollout of New York’s adult-use market to progress on federal cannabis policy reform on Capitol Hill.

“We struck a real victory here in New York with legalization, which I pushed the legislature to do,” Schumer said. “And while there are definitely real changes in implementation in this state, no one—no one—can take away what legalizing marijuana means as a bellwether in this country. Now Congress has to catch up. I’m working on Congress to catch up to New York.”

He touted the recent scheduling of a Senate Banking Committee hearing on cannabis banking issues and the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which will take place on Thursday.

“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,” Schumer said at the event. ” 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,” the majority leader said. “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.”

The last time Schumer spoke at NYCCPR, he focused on legislation he was drafting at the time to end federal marijuana prohibition. While he said at a 4/20 event in the Capitol last month that he plans to refile that bill, the majority leader is making clear that the first major task will be passing the banking measure in a divided Congress.

Prior to the scheduling of the marijuana hearing in the Senate Banking Committee, Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) told reporters that senators planned to “move quickly” on the legislation from Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT).