Massachusetts Senator; former head of CFPB; Dem. Presidential Challenger
Rated A+ by NORML on marijuana reform
NORML Politician Info: rated A+
Candidate: Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Summary: LEGALIZE, TAX, AND REGULATE: Senator Elizabeth Warren has previously been endorsed by NORML for reelection to the
US Senate and supports marijuana legalization, the expungement of criminal records, and investment in the emerging industry.
Co-sponsored Legislation:
S.597 - Marijuana Justice Act of 2019
H.R.2843 - The Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act of 2019
S.179 - VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2019
S 1726 Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act of 2015 (2015-16)
S.1689 - Marijuana Justice Act of 2017 (2017-2018)
S.3174 - Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act (2017-2018)
Opioid crisis has stigma like AIDS & needs increased funding
q: How do you plan to address the opioid problem?
WARREN: The estimate I've seen is that 193 people die every day from addiction and overdoses. [I realized two parts about] the opioid crisis and how much it looked like the AIDS crisis. One is a lot of
stigma, so people don't like to talk about it; people don't come for help. And the other part is, the resources we need, our federal government, was always just an hour late and a dollar short.
Q: N.H. has twice the national average of opioid deaths.
What is your plan?
WARREN: A little boy named Ryan White said that he had AIDS and Congress said, "This is it." We put the resources into the research, and brought down the number of deaths. Why not do the same thing with the opioid crisis?
And that is put in the real resources. It will take a lot of money, about $10 billion a year for the next 10 years. But think of what we're losing every day. The best estimate is it's costing us $50 billion a year, this crisis. Put the money in.
Introduced the STATES Act of 2019, which would prevent the federal government from interfering with cannabis policy at the state level.
Cosponsors the SAFE Banking Act of 2019, which would allow banks to work with cannabis
businesses that are legal at the state level.
Cosponsored the CARERS Act of 2017, which would prevent the federal government from interfering with state medical cannabis policy, end the federal prohibition of CBD, and allow
VA doctors to recommend medical cannabis for veterans in states where it is legal.
Told VICE: "I believe the federal government should get out of the business of outlawing marijuana. If a state like Massachusetts wants to make
it legal, then that should be up to the state of Massachusetts." (2018)
Quote: "States have the right to enforce their own marijuana policies--and I'm working on legislation to make sure it stays that way." (2018)
Marijuana Justice Act: decriminalize pot & expunge records
Legalizing marijuana is an issue that has seen a steady uptick in support over the years. Fifteen states have decriminalized marijuana while 10 others and the District of Columbia have legalized the drug, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.
Many in the Democratic presidential primary field have issued full-throated support for legalizing the drug on the federal level. Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would legalize marijuana on the
federal level and expunge the records of those who have been charged with a crime for using or possessing the drug. Several Democratic presidential contenders have signed on as cosponsors of the measure: Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand
(D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro are among the candidates that have also signaled support for legalization efforts.
Signed on as a cosponsor of
Cory Booker's Marijuana Justice Act to legalize weed at the federal level.
Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"
, May 8, 2019
Change to pro-legalization of marijuana
It makes no darn sense that we treat marijuana as a schedule 1 drug, which means in effect the federal government has determined that it has no medicinal use, that it can't have any good effects, no research is supposed to be done. [Then there's the]
racial impact of the enforcement of marijuana laws. The best evidence suggests that African-Americans and whites use marijuana at about the same rates, and yet African-Americans are far more likely to be arrested for marijuana use than whites are.
Source: CNN Town Hall 2020: 5 candidates back-to-back
, Apr 22, 2019
Legalizing marijuana will reduce opioid deaths
Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to explore the use of medical marijuana as an alternative to the powerful opioid painkillers that kill thousands of people each year. In a letter to CDC chief
Tom Friedan, the Massachusetts Democrat also asks the agency to look into "the impact of the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana on opioid overdose deaths."
Source: Washington Post on 2016 Veepstakes: "Legalizing marijuana"
, Feb 13, 2016
Opposes the outright legalization of marijuana
Sen. Scott Brown and his chief Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren are both declining to say whether they support or oppose a ballot question that would legalize the medical use of marijuana in Massachusetts.
Brown said Tuesday he'd like to learn more about the proposal before taking a position on it. The Massachusetts Republican described the ballot question as "a state issue." Warren also declined to stake out a position.
Warren said
Monday she looked forward to a public hearing on the ballot question. Warren said she opposes the outright legalization of marijuana.
The Legislature's Committee on Public Health held a hearing
Tuesday on the question that would allow patients with debilitating medical conditions such as cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis to get permission from their doctors to use marijuana.
C: mixed record on drug reform (approx. 45 members)
A/B: pro-drug-reform stance (approx. 293 members)
About NORML (from their website, www.norml.org):
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Law`s mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty.
NORML is a nonprofit, public-interest lobby that for more than 30 years has provided a voice for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition. We represent the interests of the tens of millions of Americans who smoke marijuana responsibly and believe the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana should no longer be a crime.
NORML supports the removal of all criminal penalties for the private possession
& responsible use of marijuana by adults, including the cultivation for personal use, and the casual nonprofit transfers of small amounts. This model is called `decriminalization.`
NORML additionally supports the development of a legally controlled market for marijuana, where consumers could purchase it from a safe, legal and regulated source. This model is referred to as `legalization.`
NORML believes that marijuana smoking is not for kids and should only be used responsibly by adults. As with alcohol consumption, it must never be an excuse for misconduct or other bad behavior. Driving or operating heavy equipment while impaired from marijuana should be prohibited.
NORML strongly supports the right of patients to use marijuana as a medicine when their physician recommends it to relieve pain and suffering.
Lastly, NORML supports the right of farmers to commercially cultivate hemp for industrial purposes, such as food and fiber production.
Immunity for banks offering services to marijuana businesses.
Warren signed immunity for banks offering services to marijuana businesses
Congressional Summary:This bill provides a safe harbor for depository institutions providing financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business insofar as it prohibits a federal banking regulator from:
terminating or limiting the deposit or share insurance of a depository institution solely because it provides financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business; or
prohibiting, penalizing, or otherwise discouraging a depository institution from offering such services.
Immunity from federal criminal prosecution or investigation is granted, subject to certain conditions, to a depository institution that provides financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business in a state or one of its political subdivisions that allows the cultivation, production, manufacture, sale, transportation, display, dispensing, distribution, or purchase of marijuana.
Argument in Favor:
[Cato Institute, March 31, 2016]: Marijuana is now legal under the laws of [several] states, but not under federal law. And this creates huge headaches for marijuana businesses:
Two years after Colorado fully legalized the sale of marijuana, most banks here still don`t offer services to the businesses involved.
Financial institutions are caught between state law that has legalized marijuana and federal law that bans it. Banks` federal regulators don`t fully recognize such businesses and impose onerous reporting requirements on banks that deal with them.
Without bank accounts, the burgeoning pot sector can`t accept credit or debit cards from customers.
Source: Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act 16-S1726 on Apr 28, 2015
Criminalize imports of opioid precursors.
Warren signed criminalizing imports of opioid precursors
Excerpts from Letter from 17 Senators to the President of the European Commission We write to request designating NPP and ANPP, which are precursor chemicals of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, as Table I substances under the 1988 UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. NPP and ANPP are [legal under EU law but] already controlled in the U.S. under the Controlled Substances Act. However, without collective international action it will be difficult to control NPP and ANPP, and will frustrate efforts to curb manufacturing and trafficking of illicit fentanyl.
Opposing argument: (ACLU, `Against Drug Prohibition`): People in almost all cultures, in every era, have used psychoactive drugs. A `drug free America` is not a realistic goal, and by criminally banning psychoactive drugs the government has ceded control of potentially dangerous substances to criminals. Instead of trying to stamp out drug use, our government
should focus on reducing drug abuse and prohibition-generated crime. This requires a fundamental change in public policy: repeal of criminal prohibition and the creation of a reasonable regulatory system.
Opposing argument: (Cato Institute, `Do Restrictions Reduce Opioid Poisonings?`, by Jeffrey Miron): Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), which record a patient`s opioid prescribing history, when required as `must access,` PDMPs significantly reduce misuse in Medicare Part D. But there is no statistically significant effect on opioid poisoning incidents. How is this possible? The simplest explanation is that, despite all the hype, prescription opioids are not that dangerous, even in heavy doses, when used under medical supervision. Instead, most poisonings reflect use of diverted prescription opioids, or black market opioids, which may be adulterated. Under this interpretation, restrictions on opioid prescribing might even increase opioid poisonings.
Source: Letter on Fentanyl 17LTR-NPP on Feb 17, 2017