House Democrats are returning to the issue of marijuana legalization in the coming week. A bill to legalize marijuana at the federal level is being prepared for debate and a vote in the House. States across the U.S. have already begun to legalize marijuana and cannabis within their borders.
President Joe Biden’s election promises to address marijuana legalization have yet to be fulfilled. Biden claimed during his campaign that he intended to decriminalize marijuana, but he has not yet done so. Early in his term, he also fired members of his staff for cannabis use.
The bill to legalize marijuana is known as the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act. On Monday, a meeting was held by the Rules Committee to prep the bill for a House vote, a process that includes deciding what amendments need to be made to the bill before moving forward.
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler sponsors the MORE Act as it moves toward a vote. In 2021, an earlier version of the bill died in the Senate.
The MORE Act aims to remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances at the federal level. By removing marijuana and cannabis at the federal level, control of the marijuana market would be put into the hands of individual states. The MORE Act permits the use of federal taxes to rebuild the communities affected by the War on Drugs.
Raising funds through taxation is another part of the MORE Act. The Act requires the expungement of federal convictions for marijuana possession. Nonviolent inmates in federal prisons would potentially be released without a criminal record for marijuana possession.
The question of marijuana legalization will make its way to the House floor by the end of the current week. A vote is expected by Friday.
House Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has also taken on the mantle of marijuana legalization. Schumer is working on legalization legislation called the Cannabis Administration & Opportunity Act.
Schumer is currently looking for bipartisan support for his legislation by writing to the chairs of important committees and asking for their input.
After the MORE Act has passed the House, it will fall on the Senate Floor, where sixty votes are needed to pass the legislation to the White House for a final sign-off.
