Rioters summoned to DC by President Donald Trump obstructed the Electoral College certification by storming the Capitol Building while pro-cannabis Democrats won the U.S. Senate control.
These protesters have been called rioters or domestic terrorists for storming the Capitol building. They occupied House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) office and stealing a podium. They were scenes out of a banana republic.
Nonetheless, the Congress planned to reconvene tonight in their respective chambers of the Capitol Building and certify the election results. Joe Biden will still become President on Wednesday, January 20th.
Anarchy at the Capitol Building
It is barely precedented in American history. During the War of 1812, the United States lost a battle. So the British took Washington when they proceeded to burn the Capitol and White House. In the 1780s, there was a riot outside the building where Congress was meeting in Philadelphia. At that time, Congress was barely collecting any tax revenue and had no security. When an angry mob came to them, Congress felt threatened. However, the Governor of Pennsylvania was in dispute with Congress then. Some felt he did not send in the militia quickly enough.
However, Vice President Mike Pence didn’t plan to up oppose the Electoral College certification of former Vice President Joe Biden as President of the United States and Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) as Vice President.
One hundred Members of the House had planned to disrupt the certification initially. However, by the time Congress reconvened, many were making speeches in favor of the Electoral College certification.
Twitter removed Trump’s Tweets and locked his account. It has been amazing for the president who has used his Twitter account to cultivate a mass following.
Georgia Runoff Gives Pro-Cannabis Democrats Senate Control
Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock have been announced as the winners of the Georgia runoff. Thus, the pro-cannabis Democrats will control the US Senate in the 117th Congress. The 50 Senate pro-cannabis Democrats will be bolstered by Harris. Both Senators-elect from Georgia support ending federal cannabis prohibition.
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will become Senate Majority Leader when Biden and Harris take office. So she can vote with the pro-cannabis Democrats.
“Senator Schumer’s ascension to Majority Leader will mark the first time in US history that the upper chamber is led by a Senator who is openly calling for cannabis legalization,” NORML Political Director Justin Strekal said. “We look forward to working with soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Schumer and future Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden to advance legislation.”
“Unfortunately, under the GOP Senate leadership, the MORE Act, the SAFE Banking Act, and many other important reform bills were dead on arrival,” Strekal added.
In contrast, Democratic Senators Schumer, Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and others have pledged to advance legislation to end cannabis prohibition and its negative impact.
Cannabis Justice Possible in MORE Act
On December 4th, 2020, the House of Representatives voted for the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, HR 3884. It removes cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act. Thus it’s eliminating the existing conflict between state and federal marijuana laws. It would also provide states with authority to establish their cannabis laws free from federal interference.
In the last session of Congress, the MORE Act was sponsored in the House by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY). In the Senate, it was sponsored by Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris (D-CA). A new session of Congress takes office every two years.
In the Senate, the MORE Act was referred to the Senate Committee, which will be Chaired by Senator Wyden. Senator Wyden was the recipient of the 2019 NORML Rufus King Sr. award for Outstanding Public Servant.
The MORE Act would make several other important changes to federal law in addition to ending marijuana criminalization. For example, it permits physicians affiliated with the Veterans Administration to make medical cannabis recommendations to qualifying veterans from legal states. It incentivizes states to move ahead with expungement policies to end the stigma and lost opportunities suffered by those with low-level cannabis convictions. If approved, the MORE Act also allows the Small Business Administration to support entrepreneurs and small businesses as they seek to gain a foothold in this emerging industry.
The MORE Act became the first bill in US history to end federal cannabis prohibition to be approved in a Congressional chamber. It passed the House last December.