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Page 16 February 20, 2019 O PINION Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. Send a Message to End the War on Cannabis Oregon’s Wyden and Blumenauer are on board J ustin s trekal U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has introduced legislation in the Senate, S. 420 — The Marijuana Revenue and Regulation Act — to permit states to establish their own marijuana regula- tory policies free from federal interfer- ence. In addition to removing marijua- na from the United States Controlled Substances Act, this legislation also removes enforcement power from the US Drug Enforcement Administration in matters concerning marijuana pos- session, production, and sales — thus permitting state governments to regu- late these activities as they see fit. Senate Bill 420 is another sign that the growing public support for ending our failed war on cannabis consumers nationwide is continuing to translate by into political support amongst federal officials. If we are truly going to move our nation towards sensible marijuana pol- icies, the removal of marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act is par- amount. Annually, 650,000 Americans are arrested for nothing more than the possession of small amounts of mari- juana and now is the time for Congress to once and for all end put an end to the national embarrassment that is canna- bis prohibition. With marijuana legalization being supported by a supermajority of Amer- icans while Congress’ approval rating hovers around 20 percent, ending our country’s disastrous prohibition against marijuana would not just be good poli- cy, but good politics. Upon introduction, Sen. Wyden said, “The federal prohibition of marijuana is wrong, plain and simple. Too many lives have been wasted, and too many economic opportunities have been missed. It’s time Congress make the changes Oregonians and Americans across the country are demanding.” U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, the Portland Democrat who will carry the House companion legislation, said “Oregon has been and continues to be a leader in commonsense marijuana pol- icies and the federal government must catch up. The American people have elected the most pro-cannabis Con- gress in American history and signifi- cant pieces of legislation are being in- troduced. The House is doing its work and with the help of Senator Wyden’s leadership in the Senate, we will break through.” Thirty-three states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico have enacted legislation specific to the physician-authorized use of cannabis. Moreover, an estimated 73 million Americans now reside in the 10 states where anyone over the age of 21 may possess cannabis legally. An addi- tional 15 states have passed laws spe- cific to the possession of cannabidiol (CBD) oil for therapeutic purposes. Sixty-eight percent of registered voters “support the legalization of mar- ijuana,” according to 2018 national polling data compiled by the Center for American Progress. The percentage is the highest level of support for legal- ization ever reported in a nationwide, scientific poll. Majorities of Democrats (77 per- cent), Independents (62 percent), and Republicans (57 percent) back legal- ization. The results of a 2017 nation- wide Gallup poll similarly found ma- jority support among all three groups. For far too long, our Congress has been intransigent regarding marijuana prohibition. Now is the time for law- makers to come together and hash out a way forward to end the failed and cruel policy of criminalization. Add your voice to the growing cho- rus demanding reform; send a message to your lawmakers in support of S 420! Justin Strekal is the political director for NORML. During Black History Month We Celebrate the Legacies Freedom begins with freedom for the most marginalized t raCey l. r ogers When I visited the Af- rican American Civil War Museum in Washington, D.C., a volunteer docent asked the fol- lowing question: “Who freed the slaves after the Civil War?” There were about 10 of us in the group. Some looked around wondering if it was a trick question, while others blurted out, “Abraham Lincoln!” After some time, the docent finally offered his response: “Enlisted slaves freed themselves, with the help of Union sol- diers.” I had a powerful reaction to this re- sponse, because history tells a different story of Lincoln as the “Great Eman- cipator.” The truth is, President Lincoln knew the Union army would be unsuccessful in its Civil War campaign without more able bodies to defeat the Confederate army. When he issued his Emancipation Proclamation, he didn’t merely an- nounce the end of slavery in rebel terri- tories. Lincoln also asked blacks to en- by list in the Union army, inviting “people so declared to be free” to be “received into the armed service of the Unit- ed States.” Lincoln knew he needed troops, but he also knew he couldn’t make such a request without freeing the slaves. My ancestors didn’t go to war to help the Union army, or to prevent the South from seceding. Nor did they fight alongside Union soldiers because of a shared cause for a coun- said, “No one is free until we all are free.” What he meant at the time was that we couldn’t dare refer to our na- tion as “Land of the Free” when not all of us were. This was a contentious debate even for the founding fathers. During the Revolutionary War campaign for free- dom from the British monarch, leaders of the new nation were viewed as hyp- ocrites abroad for enslaving Africans. Matched only by America’s treat- My ancestors fought in the Civil War because freedom was the reward after centuries of enslavement. try undivided. My ancestors fought in the Civil War because freedom was the reward after centuries of enslavement. Blacks knew what was at stake. This wasn’t about politics, nor was it about patriotism. This was about freedom — freedom for themselves, their grandchil- dren, their great grandchildren — and freedom for me, a distant descendant. There was no other way around it. Sad- ly, war was their only hope. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once ment of indigenous people, slavery is by far the darkest period of U.S. his- tory. Even after the Civil War, blacks in America endured another century of Jim Crow while fighting for civil rights. Even today, the struggle for black lives continues, as racist systems and politi- cians continue to erode our democracy. America wouldn’t be America if not for the wealth generated by blacks forced into domestic slavery. So as we celebrate Black History Month — a too-short 28-day memorialization highlighting the contributions of black Americans — I invite you to consider how their contributions benefited the greater good of society despite mali- cious attacks on our freedom. Harriett Tubman literally brought slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. She was also a political activ- ist and armed scout for the Union Army during the Civil War. Sojourner Truth, meanwhile, was an early advocate for women’s rights alongside Susan B. Anthony. Her work paved the way for future leaders like Tarana Burke, founder of the Me Too movement that’s done so much to raise awareness about pervasive sexual as- sault in our society. If you want life, liberty, and the pur- suit of happiness, just look to black Americans at the helm of freedom and justice movements throughout the na- tion. Barack Obama said, “Our freedom depends on you being free too.” Free- dom for all begins with freedom for those marginalized. The black commu- nity has been denied basic freedoms for centuries, which is why we inherently understand what it means to truly be free. Tracey L. Rogers is an entrepreneur and activist living in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Distributed by OtherWords.org.
