A GOP congressman says that, while he supports overturning certain criminal justice reform policies enacted by local officials in the nation’s capital, he does acknowledge there’s “a trace of racism” in marijuana enforcement. But, he said, advocates have gone too far in their pursuit of scaling back harsh sentencing laws.
During a hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last week, Chairman James Comer (R-KY) addressed Washington, D.C. officials and lawmakers about congressional efforts his panel is leading to overhaul multiple local laws. One of the congressional bills would restrict the District’s ability to enact sentencing reform.
“Now, I supported criminal justice reform back when it first became a thing in Kentucky. So did another Republican, [Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)] at that time,” Comer said. “It dealt with incarcerating young people because of possession of marijuana.”
“I believed then, and I still believe, that there was an excessive penalty to pay for what is now legal in most states: Marijuana. And it did appear to me, by the numbers, to have a trace of racism in it,” he said, adding that Black youth appeared to be disproportionately impacted by criminalization.
“But over time, the activists continued
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