Senate Democrats split over legalizing weed

April 22, 2021
AggregatedNews
Federal
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Several Senators opposed to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s legalization push.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s biggest challenge to legalizing marijuana is his fellow Democrats.

The New York Democrat has repeatedly promised a vote on cannabis reform, promising to tee it up even if President Joe Biden does not get on board. But that goal, which Schumer underlined with a public celebration Tuesday of an unofficial but widely marked marijuana holiday, means little if the majority leader can’t corral the votes for passage in his own caucus. And two Democrats told POLITICO that they oppose removing federal penalties on marijuana.

Sen. Jon Tester of Montana was similarly unenthusiastic about ending federal marijuana penalties. Legalization would “cause more problems than it solves,” Tester said.

Schumer can’t afford to lose a single vote on his side of the aisle in his legalization push, and that’s before an even tougher battle to win over Republicans who have little interest in working with Democrats. [Read More @ Politico]