The Democratic Congresswoman accuses a Republican legislator of hypocrisy because he sponsored legislation that would overturn a Washington, D.C. sentencing law reform, while his own charges for possession of marijuana in his youth were dismissed by a judge’s discretion.
The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, took up bills that target D.C.’s policies. They were passed recently by the Oversight and GovernmentAccountability. Rep. Byron Donalds’ (R-FL) DC Crimes Act was one of the bills that were taken up by the House on Tuesday. It would have restricted the District’s ability to enact reforms in sentencing.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, (D-TX), said that the GOP Congressman’s call for legislation is a double standard. He himself was a cannabis offender as a teenager and his case dismissed. This allowed him to get on Capitol Hill.
Crockett explained that “as a youth, he was subjected to pretrial diversion due to misdemeanor possession of marijuana.” As an adult but younger than 24 years old, he faced felony charges of robbery, which were ultimately expunged.
“As my heart broke as I listened, it was a very sad moment. And many people know me for being able to do alliterations, and all I could think about was ‘amnesia allows adolescent accountability avoidance, agility from across the aisle,'” she said.
“Imagine that you are a Jamaican-Panamanian young man who has made mistakes not just once, but twice. Imagine yourself in front of the judge, your life on the line. You are promised mercy instead of jail. The record of your past crimes is erased and you get a second shot at living. Imagine you can turn that promotion into an opportunity to go back to school, get a new job or even join Congress. “That’s how redemption looks.”
“That is what America should be all about.” As a young boy, that’s what Donalds, the Florida wannabe-governor, went through.” The congresswoman referred to Donalds.
Donalds—who’s DC Crimes Act passed the full House in a 240-179 vote–was arrested for alleged cannabis distribution in 1997, but the charges were dropped in 2000 as part of a pre-trial diversion program.
Crockett explained that “he was granted a third opportunity, and he now represents a law which would deny young people of Washington, D.C., similar opportunities to those he received.” “Let’s face it: If Donald Trump was president, or the D.C. criminal bill that he supports today had been in effect when he grew up, then he probably wouldn’t have been a Congressman. He would still have to live with those accusations.”
“Let’s just call it as it is. Opportunities for me and not for thee. The ladder has been redeemed and he is now ripping it from D.C.’s youth. We were all taught how to climb by lifting. But clearly, some is have forgotten to lift as they climb—and now they are committed to telling the next generation to pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” she said. “I won’t sit quietly while a man saved by Grace tries to steal grace from others,” she said.
Donalds has a history of criminalizing cannabis. However, during his election last year he also expressed opposition to the proposal to legalize pot in Florida. The overall picture of Donalds’ career is somewhat mixed.
He has voted for marijuana banking legislation and a bill that reduces restrictions on cannabis research. This congressman has also been cosponsoring legislation this session to safeguard gun rights for patients who use medical marijuana.
While he experienced a cannabis arrest himself, Donalds also voted against an amendment to prevent people from being denied security clearances over prior marijuana use—even though he’s able to receive classified briefings as a member of Congress regardless of his own history with cannabis. Donalds also voted against the bill that would legalize marijuana by 2022.
The House will also be considering another bill that repeals a D.C. statute expanding the expungement of marijuana possessions, after it cleared committee.
Second Chance Amendment Act is a law that was passed by the District in 2022 and took effect next year.
Under the law, the District’s judiciary was mandated to automatically expunge marijuana possession records for offenses that took place before D.C. enacted a limited cannabis legalization law in 2014.
Advocates have already been frustrated with congressional interference with the District’s cannabis laws—particularly the annual renewal of an appropriations rider from Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) barring D.C. from using its local tax dollars to implement a system of regulated recreational marijuana sales.
Rep. James Comer was the one who oversaw repealing of the law, but he had indicated in the past that he might be open to re-examining the riders. Asked about the possibility of lifting restrictions on D.C. legal cannabis sales, he said in late 2023 “if that’s what Washington D.C. wants, yeah.”
Earlier this month, the House Appropriations Committee again advanced the underlying spending bill with the rider kept intact.
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Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, (D-DC), has criticised appropriators who have put forward a bill which restricts the autonomy of the District in many ways. This includes the riders to “prohibit use of funds for commercializing recreational marijuana”.
Norton expressed his outrage at the “number and extent of anti D.C. home-rule riders” in the legislation released in today’s release. The measure had cleared subcommittee back in July.
The congresswoman said in May that she would again again push her colleagues to join her in an effort to remove the cannabis language.
“As Congress works on the fiscal year 2026 appropriation bill, I will continue to fight to remove this rider,” she said, while referencing a statement from the White House that called the District’s move to enact local marijuana reform an example of a “failed” policy that “opened the door to disorder.”
In June, President Donald Trump also released his budget proposal. It included the Harris rider that prevents marijuana sales within D.C. The former President Joe Biden, who served in the White House from 2007 to 2009, also requested that the D.C. cannabis riders be maintained in his budget requests.
As a temporary solution, D.C. officials expanded the existing medical marijuana program in the city.
Philip Steffan is the photographer.
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