‘Cannabis in Common’ Rallies Advocates to Contact State Representatives about Federal Legalization

A large majority of Americans are in favor on cannabis legalization. The time is now to tell our lawmakers that we have ‘Cannabis in Common.’

Headcount, a non-partisan organization that strives to get people registered to vote through music, has announced a new effort to legalize cannabis on a federal level and clear the records of thousands of people who have been convicted of cannabis-related crimes.

On November 9, Headcount and the U.S. Cannabis Council launched a nationwide education project called Cannabis in Common to mobilize cannabis-friendly citizens to start contacting their political representatives. In one YouTube video related to the announcement, Sarah Silverman narrates the current state of cannabis in the United States, inspiring people to rise up and take action.

Courtesy Cannabis in Common

“There’s at least one thing most Americans have in common: More than two-thirds of us agree cannabis should be legalized. And we have a real shot at getting federal legalization done now if we speak up,” Silverman says in the video. “If we don’t make a change soon, settling for laws that disproportionately land people of color in prison. We’re leaving hundreds of thousands of jobs on the table and giving up tax revenue that can go toward education and other community investments.”

Rogen proposes that people hit up their representatives via email or phone to get their attention. “Legalizing cannabis for good is long past due, but if we make enough noise, we can make it happen.”

Cannabis in Common makes reaching out to House and Senate Representatives a breeze. By visiting its website, individuals can send a quick email with the click of a button or instantly locate the phone number of the desired representative to open up a discussion about federal legalization. See where each of state representative stands on the issue here.

Cannabis in Common also notes that while the current Congress is “the most cannabis-friendly in history,” it’s not enough to get the support necessary to make federal legalization a reality—which is why the organization is enlisting the help of the people to push things forward. “Our core objective is to get cannabis supporters to engage in the democratic process by contacting their senators and sparking a healthy dialogue around this topic. The polling on cannabis is clear, but polls do not create change. People do.”

The bill that is referred to in Cannabis in Common’s push for legalization is the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Senator Cory Booker and Senator Ron Wyden in July 2021. “The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act aims to end the decades of harm inflicted on communities of color by removing cannabis from the federal list of controlled substances and empowering states to implement their own cannabis laws,” they wrote in a 30-page discussion of their bill.