U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, is cosponsoring a bill to decriminalize marijuana across the nation and penalize states with high arrest and incarceration rates for cannabis-related crimes.
The Marijuana Justice Act of 2017, first introduced in August by Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances.
The bill also would penalize states that haven't legalized marijuana and have "disproportionate" rates of arrest and incarceration for marijuana-related offences by cutting federal funding in those states for new jails, prisons and staffing.
The bill would help Americans convicted of marijuana-related crimes retroactively expunge those offences from their records.
In addition, it would create a "Community Reinvestment Fund" for communities hit hardest by the war on drugs. Communities would get federal money for efforts such as job training programs, pubic libraries, community centers and health education programs.
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