Dear Friends,As we mark fifty years of the devastating war on drugs it is past time for Congress to catch up with the public and majority of states who have legalized some form of cannabis, and pass legislation to decriminalize the adult-use of recreational cannabis.   The MORE Act, which I helped write, decriminalizes cannabis at the federal level and provides restorative justice for communities which have suffered from the disproportionate and deliberate enforcement of cannabis prohibitions. Today’s vote to pass the MORE Act in the U.S. House of Representatives is one step to ending the deplorable, misguided war on drugs. It is also a critical turning point. The last time that the House voted to pass the MORE Act, we faced Senate leadership that wouldn’t give us the time of day. That’s changed. Three key Senate leaders, including Oregon’s own Senator Ron Wyden, are working on their version of the MORE Act and intend to introduce this legislation as early as this month. There are real problems but chiefly due to a lack of a clear, strong federal partnership. The federal government has failed to deal with the failed war on drugs when most Americans have moved on. The MORE Act makes the federal government part of the solution, not creating more problems. Congress must recognize that decriminalization is supported by a majority of the American public. Certainly, states are listening. 48 states have already enacted laws that relax federal prohibitions on marijuana, 38 states have voted to set up medical marijuana programs, and 18 states have adult-use programs. I have spent time talking to parents of children with seizure disorders, veterans suffering from PTSD, small businesses, and the very communities who have been unfairly impacted by the war on drugs, and they all agree: the federal government must end the failed prohibition on marijuana. Today’s passage of the MORE Act brings us one step closer to winning the fight.