In the wake of House passage of the MORE Act, which decriminalizes marijuana by removing the drug from the federal register of controlled substances, critics are voicing concerns about the possible impact of legalization on transportation and workplace safety. While the MORE Act is likely doomed in the Senate, it has inspired pro-legalization forces to push for cannabis reform in the new Biden administration. But workplace safety experts say that any de-scheduling must be done with care to evaluate the level of impairment caused by the drug in order to protect workers and all who use our roadways. Unfortunately, no cannabis test currently exists that accurately determines impairment, nor do we know the side effects of long-term health implications. Data should always drive policy decisions, and that’s why we need more rigorous research into the impact of marijuana.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Times reports that there are no Black-owned marijuana dispensaries in the city—despite the claims of legalization advocates that cannabis reform would benefit communities of color that suffered disproportionately from incarceration during the war on drugs. In reality, Black businesspeople have been left out of the state’s “green gold rush.”
And finally, an opinion piece in the New York Times says the Sackler family, founder of Purdue Pharma, may walk away from the company’s pending settlement with the Justice Department without public scrutiny or accountability. The company’s bankruptcy and a “poison pill” legal loophole could mean they would be released from liability, and it would become practically impossible to uncover the full truth about the billionaire Sackler family’s role in the opioid crisis.