U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet signed onto legislation Thursday that would end a federal prohibition on marijuana, effectively legalizing the drug nationwide.
The bill, championed by New Jersey senator and Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker, was first introduced in 2017 and failed to gain traction in the Republican-controlled Senate. Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, was not a co-sponsor of that bill but has joined the effort this year.
“This long-overdue change will help bring our marijuana laws into the 21st century,” Bennet said in a statement Thursday. “It’s past time we bring fairness and relief to communities that our criminal justice system has too often left behind.”
