EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Cory Booker Says Cannabis Reform Is a Moral Emergency

Sen. Cory Booker brought a message of moral urgency to IgniteIt’s Cannabis Capital & Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. last week, reminding industry leaders that cannabis reform is inseparable from the broader fight for justice in America. In a candid fireside chat, the New Jersey senator traced his advocacy back to the lessons of his upbringing and challenged the audience to help ensure the industry grows in a way that reflects equity, fairness, and the country’s highest ideals.

New Jersey attorney Lou Magazzu, a friend of the senator for 25 years, served as moderator of the fireside chat. After being introduced, Booker noted that he was raised in a suburban New Jersey environment. Despite his privileged upbringing, however, he learned from his parents, who came from poor backgrounds, to fight for the underrepresented and underprivileged members of our society.

Booker explained that this interest in social justice informed his views on cannabis policy, citing the disproportionate impact of marijuana laws on communities of color and the need for a system of equality in the cannabis industry.

“One of the areas that became a passion point for mine was what I felt was one of the greatest economic attacks on the wealth and well-being of Americans, which was the unequal treatment of laws around marijuana,” the senator told the audience.

Reform a ‘Moral Urgency’

Booker noted that the disproportionate enforcement of cannabis laws put many people from communities of color behind bars. Even with reform, that injustice is often repeated with policies that bar people with cannabis-related convictions from jobs in the industry.

Booker told those in attendance that they are “part of the movement to make our nation live up to its ideals,” adding it is a “moral urgency to have a system of equality.”

“This movement sits squarely in the center of that larger movement for justice in our country, and so I’m very honored to be here, and very excited about the progress we’ve made. But I will tell you this: we can’t stop now,” said Booker. “Our movement must grow, and we must have more people pushing and pulling this country to create not just a free market around cannabis, but really a system of regulation that speaks to the best of who we are together and not continuing to double down on the divisiveness, division and injustices that have been so marked by the story of marijuana in our country.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KKx2tPFiak

What’s Next in Cannabis Reform

After discussing the impending ban on hemp THC products, the conversation turned to what might be next on the cannabis policy reform front. Magazzu asked about legislation to ease the cannabis industry’s access to financial services, known as the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, and its successor, the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act. He also inquired about the fate of a pending proposal to reschedule cannabis, initiated by former President Joseph Biden, that the Trump administration is now considering.

Booker said that legalizing cannabis by removing the plant from the federal Controlled Substances Act is the ultimate goal. Even so, incremental gains with the banking bill or rescheduling are still significant.

“Justice is descheduling, we all know that. That’s what the right thing to do is: to deschedule,” he said. “But I will accept any progress over no progress.”

“The idea that heroin and meth are the same as cannabis defies all science and reality,” he continued. “And so to have it scheduled 1, have it the same schedule as these much more severe substances that we all know the consequences can be for our communities, is absurd.”

Noting that comprehensive cannabis policy reform is a matter of life and death for many medical marijuana patients, Magazzu asked Booker how more of his colleagues could be convinced that further delay is “literally killing” and denying others a better quality of life. Booker emphasized the importance of connecting with policymakers to help them understand the benefits of reform.

“My father was this great salesman who said, you know, statistics tell, but stories sell. Stories call to the hearts of people and the emotions of people, not just their heads,” he said. “There are thousands and thousands of stories in every community in this country about how our broken marijuana laws are making people unjustly suffer. Suffer in real, substantive ways, from health care to the criminal justice system, to economically suffer.”

From there, Magazzu asked about upcoming legislation from Booker known as the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. The senator said that while SAFE Banking is an important bill, his measure includes broader reforms.

“Again, I’ll take SAFE banking. You know, it’s a reason why I endorse this bill. It’s really important. I know it’s vital for a lot of people here who are trying to create economic opportunity,” Booker said. “But this—the CAOA—is a comprehensive bill that deals with every aspect of this, from the criminal justice aspects of it, from the science and research aspects of it,” adding, “It’s just a much more comprehensive, common sense, evidence-based approach. And I’m really proud of that legislation.”

Cannabis Reform Advocates Are ‘Patriots’

To conclude his remarks, Booker told the audience that with reform, they will be free to pursue the ideals that have made America great.

“What we need to do is create a regulatory system where you can thrive in an industry that, yes, should be creating millions of jobs and more pathways for prosperity for more gritty people who have the guts to continue in that entrepreneurial spirit,” he said. “That’s what we want. You all are the patriots right now. We are the patriots trying to create a more robust economy that serves those fundamental human needs of safety and prosperity.”

Join Us in Chicago

As federal cannabis policy enters a pivotal stretch, industry leaders, investors and policymakers will reconvene at IgniteIt’s Cannabis Capital Conference ‘26, June 8–10 in Chicago. For agenda details, registration and scholarship information for minority- and women-owned businesses, visit events.igniteit.com/cannabis-capital-2026