WASHINGTON – Today, following passage of H.R. 1595 – the SAFE Banking Act of 2019, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement:

“The War on Drugs continues to tear apart communities to this day and has served as the foundation of an egregiously unjust and unequal criminal legal system. The SAFE Banking Act is an initial step and will allow small business owners in the Cannabis industry to gain access to financial services. While I was proud to support this narrowly tailored bill, I believe we must also prioritize restorative justice reforms required to make amends with the communities most impacted by bad drug policies. If we are to truly address the injustice of the War on Drugs, we must remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, invest in communities most impacted by past and present policies, and expunge the records of those convicted of marijuana related offenses. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to urgently move the Marijuana Justice Act and the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act through committee and to the House floor for a vote.”

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