Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried is calling on the Florida congressional delegation to support H.R. 3617, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act when it comes before the U.S. House later this week. The MORE Act is a comprehensive cannabis reform package that would decriminalize cannabis and take much-needed steps to address the racial injustices of prohibition.
The letter reads in part: “It has been 50 years since the release of the Shafer Report and the American people are still waiting for federal decriminalization. Cannabis legalization is supported by 68 percent of Americans and 71 percent of voters in Florida. With the MORE Act before you this week, you have the opportunity to carry out the will of the people: decriminalizing cannabis and moving equity and our economy forward.”
The letter, which may be downloaded here [ 
1.3 MB ] and viewed here on Twitter, reads as follows:
March 31, 2022
Dear Florida Congressional Delegation Members:
As Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and on behalf of the majority of Floridians who support cannabis decriminalization, I am writing today in support of H.R. 3617, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, that is expected to be voted on in the House of Representatives this week. As you know, the MORE Act is a comprehensive cannabis reform package that would decriminalize cannabis and take long-overdue steps to address the racial injustices of prohibition.
Last week marked 50 years since the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, also known as the Shafer Commission, delivered its report calling for the decriminalization of cannabis possession in the United States, having concluded that cannabis does not cause widespread danger to society. President Richard Nixon, who commissioned the report, neglected the findings of that report and instead began decades long War on Drugs that continues to ruin lives and perpetuate racial injustice in all corners of our country still today. The racial disparities of enforcement when it comes to cannabis prohibition can be seen in Florida, where 42,153 people were arrested for misdemeanor cannabis possession in 2017. While Black residents make up only 17 percent of Florida’s population, nearly half of those arrested were Black.
As a member of Florida’s Board of Executive Clemency and a former public defender, I have witnessed the devastating effects that minor drug offenses can have on people’s lives – from immediate financial damages incurred to arrest records that result in being locked out of opportunities for gainful employment, housing, and educational opportunities that hurt our communities and economy as a whole. The MORE Act would take the long-overdue steps of ending the federal government’s misguided and discriminatory cannabis prohibition. It would begin to right the wrongs of the failed War on Drugs by expunging certain cannabis offenses and reinvesting in individuals and communities harmed by the War on Drugs.
Additionally, by ending conflicts between federal and state cannabis laws that create confusion for patients and consumers, hurdles to needed research, and a lack of access to the financial system for entrepreneurs that stands to stifle the growth of a multi-billion industry. America’s $13.6 billion state-legal cannabis industry supports more than 250,000 jobs, with the global legal cannabis economy expected to reach $74 billion in the next few years. Through federal decriminalization, the MORE Act will allow us to equitably grow the cannabis economy.
It has been 50 years since the release of the Shafer Report and the American people are still waiting for federal decriminalization. Cannabis legalization is supported by 68 percent of Americans and 71 percent of voters in Florida. With the MORE Act before you this week, you have the opportunity to carry out the will of the people: decriminalizing cannabis and moving equity and our economy forward.
While many members of the Florida congressional delegation supported the will of Floridians and the American people by voting for the MORE Act when it passed the U.S. House of Representatives in the 116th Congress, I urge the entire delegation to unite in support of its passage in the 117th. Following House action, I hope to see the U.S. Senate also swiftly take long-overdue action on comprehensive and equitable cannabis reform. The time to act is now. Together, we can finally bring to an end this decades-long, discriminatory prohibition.
Sincerely,
Nicole “Nikki” Fried
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Source: Nikki Fried’s office