Democratic Party Rejected Marijuana Legalization Amendment 2020
The Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) officially rejected the amendment to legalize marijuana and showed no support for it in the 2020’s policy plank on Monday.
The majority of the delegates were against the legalization of marijuana in the country while only a handful was in the favor of legalization of marijuana. These handfuls of delegates who were in favor of legalization argued that the legalization will end the war on drugs and will resolve racial inequities. Out of 156 delegates, only 50 were in the favor of legalization while the remaining 106 were against the legalization and thus the amendment was rejected. A score of 50-106 shows that Marijuana won't be legalized in the US in 2020.
The amendment content included the federal decriminalization of marijuana, pardons of non-violent marijuana possession charges, legalization of medical marijuana in the country, and allowing each state to have their drug laws. Unfortunately, the Democratic delegates believe that the legalization of marijuana will do more harm than good.
Marijuana Moment got some comments from delegate Dennis Obduskey, who introduced the amendment. He said ‘’We cannot ignore the fact that the current marijuana criminalization policy has in too many cases been used to target people of color. They are unfairly and disproportionately six times more likely to be arrested than other citizens.”
Similarly, Iowa County Supervisor Stacey Walker also expressed his support and said that ‘’black people are “overpoliced and brutalized over the same trace amounts of marijuana than white kids in this country are using without fear of repercussion or consequence.”
He also said that “I’m imploring all of you to approach this with an open mind and heart. Do something big here. Take one small but meaningful step toward changing the course of history. If my black life matters to you, you will consider this amendment. We want to get in good trouble today, and I urge you to do the right thing and support it.”
Many delegates who were in favor of the legalization testified that marijuana should be federally legalized in the county. Most of the delegates who voted in favor of legalization mentioned that it would reduce the racial injustice in the country.
