On May 26, the UFCW released a statement in support of a Congressional call to commute the sentences of all people in federal prisons on nonviolent cannabis-related charges.
Representative Steve Cohen (Tenn.-9), Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Representative Steven Horsford (Nev.-4) recently sent a letter co-signed by 26 members of Congress to President Trump and Pardon Czar Alice Marie Johnson seeking presidential commutations for nonviolent marijuana offenses, citing the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent rescheduling of FDA-approved marijuana products from Schedule I to Schedule III and the long sentences for thousands of people serving time in federal prison for marijuana-associated offenses.
“The Trump administration has the opportunity to rectify the generational harms caused by the ‘War on Drugs,’ and can do so with the stroke of a pen,” said UFCW International President Milton Jones in a statement. “Commuting the sentences of people in prison on nonviolent offenses related to cannabis will help deliver justice to them and their loved ones.”
“The UFCW, as America’s cannabis union, supports federal decriminalization of cannabis. That means contending with the injustices of the past and building a better future with a regulatory framework to ensure that cannabis workers have the health, safety, and labor protections they deserve. The leadership of Representative Cohen, Senator Booker, and Representative Horsford makes clear that we will not forget the countless people harmed by the ‘War on Drugs.’”