; Whereas, according to the ACLU, Black people are 3.64 times more likely than White people to be arrested for cannabis possession, even though usage rates are comparable; Whereas hundreds of thousands of people continue to be arrested every year for cannabis violations, primarily at the State level, and that the Federal placement of cannabis in the Controlled Substances Act is often cited as a reason for States not to legalize cannabis; Whereas the decriminalization of cannabis possession has proved to reduce the disparity in arrest rates between Black and White men by almost 20 percent, as well as reducing total arrest rates by over 70 percent among adults; Whereas the criminalization of cannabis results in the detention and subsequent deportation of countless immigrants seeking to build better lives for themselves and their families in the United States; Whereas, as a noncitizen merely working for a State-licensed marijuana business and otherwise fully compliant with all Federal and State laws can still be deported due to the placement of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act; Whereas cannabis policies continue to punish people for personal cannabis use and possession, as well as legal records and consequences associated with cannabis violations; Whereas non-White ownership of cannabis businesses shrank in 2022 to 15.4 percent from 20.7 percent in 2021; Whereas cannabis businesses are limited by numerous laws, regulations, taxes, and prohibitive permit applications and licensing fees in these States, which can total more than $100,000, with annual renewal fees also exceeding $100,000; Whereas historically disproportionate arrest and conviction rates make it particularly difficult for people of color to enter the legal cannabis marketplace, as most States bar these individuals from participating; Whereas Federal law severely limits access to loans and capital for cannabis businesses, disproportionately impacting minority small business owners