Waters Statement on House Consideration of the SAFE Banking Act and the Need For Comprehensive Cannabis Reforms

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, made the following statement on the need for comprehensive federal cannabis reforms.

"I am very pleased that the SAFE Banking Act, which makes reforms to ensure that state-authorized and regulated Cannabis businesses are not forced to operate with cash only, an issue which Representatives Perlmutter and Heck have worked on for the past six years, will be on the House Floor this week. As I have said before, this bill is one important piece of what should be a comprehensive series of cannabis reform bills.

"I have long fought for criminal justice reform and deeply understand the need to fully address the historical racial and social inequities related to the criminalization of marijuana. I support legislation that deschedules marijuana federally, requires courts to expunge convictions for marijuana-related offenses, and provides assistance such as job training and reentry services for those who have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs. I am supportive of Representative Barbara Lee's Marijuana Justice Act and Chairman Nadler's bill, the MORE Act, which both take these critical steps to provide justice for those who have suffered as a result of marijuana criminalization.

"I am pleased that Chairman Nadler has indicated that the Judiciary Committee will move forward with passing the MORE Act out of the Judiciary Committee as quickly as possible. The sooner the better."

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