The House of Representatives, on Friday, passed the MORE Act in a 220-204 vote. Referred to as Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, the bill aims to decriminalize and monetize growing, selling, and consuming marijuana nationwide.
However, the bill still needs to clear a 60-vote threshold to pass in the Senate and reach President Joe Biden’s desk.
If passed, the bill would:
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Remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act.
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Establish a process to expunge prior, present, and future marijuana-related convictions.
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Impose a 5% excise tax on cannabis products produced in the US and its territories such as Puerto Rico etc.
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Establish a trust fund to help veterans and minorities affected by the War on Drugs.
A similar bill passed the House in 2020, which the Senate had refused.
Few senators like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are opposed to the legalization of marijuana. He has consistently voiced his opposition saying, “China has been steadily building up its military and economic might, and the Democrats’ answer is to help Americans get high,” in February.
Pew research indicates that support for marijuana legalization, in some form, now stands at 91%, with one in three Americans now living in a state where marijuana use is legal for adults.
