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Rep. Don Young (R-AK)\u2014a rare example of a pro-legalization Republican congressman, who was one of just five GOP members of the House of Representatives to vote in favor of a bill to end marijuana prohibition<\/a>\u2014died on Friday.<\/p>\n As the longest-serving member of the House and one of four co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Cannabis Caucus<\/a>\u2014along with Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Dave Joyce (R-OH)\u2014Young left a legislative legacy on the issue that crossed partisan divides.<\/p>\n In a Twitter post early on Saturday morning commenting on the news of Young\u2019s passing away during a plane flight while sitting next to his wife, Lee said, \u201cAs Cannabis Caucus Co-Chair, Don was a fierce advocate for ending the failed war on drugs. My thoughts are with his wife, family, his staff and his constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n Rest In Peace to the Dean of the House, @repdonyoung<\/a>. I send my deepest condolences to his family & loved ones. <\/p>\n As Cannabis Caucus Co-Chair, Don was a fierce advocate for ending the failed war on drugs. My thoughts are with his wife, family, his staff and his constituents.<\/p>\n \u2014 Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) March 19, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Joyce, for his part, said it was the late congressman who \u201ctaught me how to lean into an issue and create a path where no one had tread before\u201d and that it was an \u201chonor to serve alongside him\u201d on the Cannabis Caucus.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve never met a force like Don and I doubt I ever will again. His shoes are ones that cannot be filled and I will miss him dearly. Rest easy, my friend.<\/p>\n \u2014 Dave Joyce (@RepDaveJoyce) March 19, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Young, who was 88, was also one of five GOP cosponsors of a separate bill to end federal prohibition<\/a> and regulate cannabis that was introduced this session by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) as an alternative to more wide-ranging Democratic-led proposals like the one that passed the House in 2020.<\/p>\n Mace, in a tweet on Friday, called Young \u201ca leader for Americans, Alaskans, and cannabis reform,\u201d saying that he \u201cdedicated his life for the better of so many in this great nation.\u201d<\/p>\n Saddened to hear of passing of Rep Don Young. A leader for Americans, Alaskans, and cannabis reform. Dedicated his life for the better of so many in this great nation. #DoitforDon<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) March 19, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) also praised Young, saying that \u201cwhen I needed Republican co lead on marijuana reform Don was there!\u201d<\/p>\n Don Young, dean of the House, dies at 88 \u2013 CBS News\/\/ Don Young was a gentleman.He built friendships across the aisle.He voted for transportation bill.When I needed Republican co lead on marijuana reform Don was there! He was a friend to me.I\u2019ll miss him. https:\/\/t.co\/2Ss2a9sFmE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) March 19, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n It\u2019s not yet clear who will replace Young as a GOP co-chair of the caucus, though as noted above there are only a handful of Republican members of Congress who have voted in favor of or cosponsored legalization proposals.<\/p>\n Last year, Joyce and Young introduced a bill<\/a> titled the \u201cCommon Sense Cannabis Reform for Veterans, Small Businesses, and Medical Professionals Act.\u201d It would have federally legalized cannabis, protected banks that service state-legal marijuana businesses and ensured that military veterans were specifically permitted to use the plant in compliance with state laws.<\/p>\n Young and Joyce also teamed up last year to put pressure on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, sending a letter to the administration criticizing their \u201clack of action\u201d and \u201ccontinued silence\u201d on marijuana reform<\/a> and calling for cannabis to be rescheduled under federal law.<\/p>\n The GOP pair sent a separate letter earlier that year<\/a> imploring Biden to keep his campaign promise and move to federally reschedule cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The modest reform is \u201ca matter of public health,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n Late last year, all four co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus demanded that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) institute a policy change to ensure that military veterans can access cannabis for therapeutic use<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2019, Young made a series very photogenic visits<\/a> to marijuana businesses in his home state of Alaska.<\/p>\n Via The Alaska Landmine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cTruthfully I can say I\u2019ve never smoked a joint\u2014and I didn\u2019t inhale either,\u201d he said at the time, according to The Alaska Landmine. \u201cIt\u2019s not my interest, and I appreciate people that use it, and I understand the benefits for it. It\u2019s just not my thing. I\u2019m just saying if you are going to have a business you have to have the ability to run legally with all the benefits of other businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n Young sponsored, cosponsored or voted for a wide range of marijuana reform legislative over his decades-long career in Congress.<\/p>\n From protecting<\/a> Native American tribes from losing federal benefits for operating cannabis programs to enacting marijuana banking reform<\/a>, the congressman ran the legislative gamut on cannabis issues during his time in office.<\/p>\n He also led a measure last year to protect Second Amendment rights for marijuana consumers<\/a> by exempting people in legalized states from a federal restriction that bars any \u201cunlawful user\u201d of a controlled substance from owning a firearm.<\/p>\n Via The Alaska Landmine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Don Murphy, director of government relations for the Marijuana Leadership Campaign and a former Maryland state lawmaker, said Young\u2019s \u201csupport for cannabis policy reform was based on his core beliefs in freedom and individual liberty and his general distrust of government.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYoung wasn\u2019t just a sideline supporter,\u201d Murphy, who previously worked for the Marijuana Policy Project, said, noting that the congressman\u2019s gun rights and cannabis bill \u201cmade most of the liberal leaning drug policy reform world uncomfortable and Young no doubt relished that position.\u201d<\/p>\n Bipartisan Congressional Lawmakers Want Biden To Push UN To End International Marijuana Ban<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of The Alaska Landmine<\/a>.<\/p>\n The post GOP Congressman Who Fought For Marijuana Legalization Dies, And Is Honored By Bipartisan Colleagues<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Rep. Don Young (R-AK)\u2014a rare example of a pro-legalization Republican congressman, who was one of just five GOP members of the House of Representatives to vote in favor of a bill to end marijuana prohibition\u2014died on Friday. As the longest-serving member of the House and one of four co-chairs ofContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":53684,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53683"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53683"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53685,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53683\/revisions\/53685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: GOP Congressman Who Fought For Marijuana Legalization Dies, And Is Honored By Bipartisan Colleagues<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"