Latino Cannabis Alliance Heads to Capitol Hill to Push Congressional Hispanic Caucus to Support Marijuana Legalization
The newly formed Latino Cannabis Alliance (LCA) is joining the Cannabis Unity Coalition for a day of action on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, May 13, in support of federal legalization of cannabis. LCA board members will be meeting with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to urge them to cosponsor the MORE Act (H.R. 5068) in this Congress.
“70% of people sentenced federally for cannabis possession are Hispanic/Latino. This is not a coincidence but a feature of our current system. Given that cannabis prohibition and immigration laws are both federal, Washington has fused them into a deportation pipeline,” said Jessica F. Gonzalez, President of the Latino Cannabis Alliance.
“The Latino Cannabis Alliance stands with the Cannabis Unity coalition because decriminalization is the floor, not the ceiling. The only way to protect our communities from further criminalization or immigration-based punishments for marijuana is to decriminalize cannabis at the federal level. We will not forget the deported, the detained, or the communities who are one cannabis charge away from exile.”
The Latino Cannabis Alliance was founded to bring Latino leadership to the table in policy conversations around marijuana reform. Cannabis prohibition has fueled arrests, incarceration, and immigration consequences in Latino communities. At the same time, Latino communities have made significant contributions to today’s legal marijuana workforce and consumer base.
LCA President Jessica F. Gonzalez, Vice President Jason Ortiz, Policy Director Maritza Perez Medina, and Education Director Ishaq Ali were among the founding members of the Cannabis Unity Coalition, the nation’s largest and most diverse coalition of progressive, conservative, and industry leaders who support the full legalization of cannabis.
“Cannabis reform is the most popular issue in American politics, and now that the President has signaled he is open to reform, it’s on Congress to pass a comprehensive legalization bill like the MORE Act to finally end the national nightmare that has been cannabis prohibition,” said Jason Ortiz, Vice President of the Latino Cannabis Alliance.
“The war on drugs continues to be a weapon used to attack and disrupt our Latino communities, both here at home and abroad. We are witnessing the DEA and ICE working together to rip families apart, and that’s why we are proud to be uniting with our allies in the coalition to put a stop to their abuses and ensure our communities can live in peace.”
