Senator
Cory Booker of New Jersey has proposed bold new legislation to scale back the
nation’s “war on drugs” and curb racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
Senator Booker’s Marijuana Justice Act of 2017 (MJA) would repeal the federal
prohibition on marijuana and give anyone previously convicted under that ban a
clean start. The MJA would also push states to address disparities in the
enforcement of their own marijuana bans, by withholding federal grant funds
from states that continue to exhibit disproportionate arrest or incarceration
rates for marijuana offenses.
The panel will discuss the promise and pitfalls of the MJA as a means to
improve equal access to justice. What impact will the repeal of marijuana
prohibition have on racial disparities in the criminal justice system? What
lessons can be learned from the experiences of states that have already
legalized marijuana under state law? Should the MJA also confront racial
disparities outside of the criminal justice system? Do minorities have equal
access to the economic opportunities now being created by state marijuana
reforms? What can the state and federal governments do to ensure such access? The
panelists will draw upon their diverse perspectives to address these and
related questions.