One Step Closer to Legalization!

By - Mariah Martinez
21 November, 2019

On Wednesday November 20th, 2019 something historic happened. The House Judiciary Committee passed the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act, (The MORE Act) with a bipartisan vote of 24 to 10. The Act now heads to the full House.

If (When!) passed, the MORE Act would would remove cannabis from the list of federally controlled substances (it is currently listed as a Schedule 1 drug alongside heroin, cocaine and LSD), allow states to set their own policy and require federal courts to expunge prior convictions for cannabis offenses. A 5% tax on cannabis products would also establish a trust fund for programs designed to help people disproportionately impacted by the "war on drugs," including job training and treatment for substance abuse.

"For far too long, we have treated marijuana as a criminal justice problem instead of a matter of personal choice and public health. Whatever one's views on the use of marijuana for recreational or medicinal purposes, arresting, prosecuting and incarcerating users at the federal level is unwise and unjust," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said in his opening statement.

Read MORE about the MORE Act on the Kight on Cannabis BLOG.

Image Credit: NORML

References:

https://blog.norml.org/2019/11/20/breaking-bill-to-end-marijuana-prohibition-passes-key-committee/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-act-bill-that-would-federally-decriminalize-marijuana-passes-house-committee-today-2019-11-20/

https://cannabusiness.law/the-more-act-what-you-need-to-know/