Today I’m announcing my bill to legalize marijuana.

Here’s a bit more about what is in the bill and how we can do this while protecting the health, safety, and civil rights of our communities: [THREAD]

First off, federal marijuana prohibition is a failed policy, and the public overwhelmingly supports legalization. 42 states and DC already allow some degree of marijuana use.

Second, if we legalize, we need to do it the right way.

In addition to passing @SenKamalaHarris’s MORE Act to expunge marijuana-related convictions and reinvest in communities harmed by the War on Drugs, we need to ensure legal marijuana is safe, regulated, and well-researched.

That means that just like with alcohol and tobacco, we need to put the FDA in charge of regulating labeling and advertising.

We also need a national strategy to combat the use and abuse of marijuana by kids, as well as create safety and quality control standards for how marijuana is grown, transported, and sold.

Guidelines for all of that are in my bill.

Finally, we need to do more research on a scientific standard for detecting marijuana-impaired driving, while preventing a repeat of the racist enforcement patterns of The War on Drugs.

At the end of the day, the public overwhelmingly supports legalization but our laws have not kept up. I'm here to say that yes, our country can legalize marijuana and do so in a smart, commonsense way. You can read more about my bill here: https://www.smith.senate.gov/us-senator-tina-smith-introduces-marijuana-reform-legislation-protect-health-safety-civil-rights