WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), which represents thousands of workers in the cannabis industry, released a statement in support of a Congressional call to commute the sentences of all people in federal prisons on nonviolent cannabis-related charges.
UFCW International President Milton Jones said:
“The Trump administration has the opportunity to rectify the generational harms caused by the ‘War on Drugs,’ and can do so with the stroke of a pen. Commuting the sentences of people in prison on nonviolent offenses related to cannabis will help deliver justice to them and their loved ones.
“The UFCW, as America’s cannabis union, supports federal decriminalization of cannabis. That means contending with the injustices of the past and building a better future with a regulatory framework to ensure that cannabis workers have the health, safety, and labor protections they deserve.
“The leadership of Representative Cohen, Senator Booker, and Representative Horsford makes clear that we will not forget the countless people harmed by the ‘War on Drugs.’”
Last week, Representative Steve Cohen (TN-9), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Representative Steven Horsford (NV-4) sent a letter co-signed by 26 members of Congress to President Trump and Pardon Czar Alice Marie Johnson seeking presidential commutations for nonviolent marijuana offenses, citing the DOJ’s recent rescheduling of FDA-approved marijuana products from Schedule I to Schedule III and the long sentences for thousands of people serving time in federal prison for marijuana-associated offenses.
###
The UFCW International is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.2 million workers and their families in cannabis, grocery, meatpacking, food processing, healthcare, retail and other essential industries in all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The UFCW is committed to organizing and supporting cannabis workers across the industry, from seed to sale. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org.
CONTACT: Finn Storer press@ufcw.org
