Newsman: The United States House of Representatives voted Friday to approve legislation that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and remove criminal penalties for certain cannabis-related offenses. Three Republicans — Reps. Tom McClintock, Brian Mast and Matt Gaetz — joined almost all Democrats in voting for the legislation. The legislation was passed by a vote of 220-204. So far 18 states along with Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana and 37 states have legalized medical marijuana.
It marks the second time in less than two years that the House passed legislation to decriminalize cannabis, scrap some old marijuana-related convictions and allow states to make their own decisions about whether to establish marijuana markets.
“There are so many discussions that have gone on over the years about the use of marijuana or cannabis or whatever. The fact is, it exists. It’s being used. We’ve got to address how it is treated legally,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday during her weekly press conference.
“I was a supporter of the War on Drugs — I’ve been here a long time,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on the House floor on Friday, pointing out that Black Americans are four times more likely than white people to be arrested for low level cannabis crimes. “This bill is a matter of justice and equal opportunity… so that Americans and America can become a better, stronger, more fair, and more just America.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is working on a separate bill that is expected to be introduced in April. Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to make marijuana legislation a priority. Senate Majority Leader Schumer is working on that separate legislation with Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Cory Booker, D-N.J. that would need at least 10 Republicans including all Democrats to pass the Senate.
‘The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act,’ known as the MORE Act, would remove marijuana from the controlled substances list, leaving it up to states to set their own laws. It would also release people incarcerated on cannabis-related offenses of less than 30 grams and expunge criminal penalties associated with those who manufacture, distribute and possess it.
The House also included two amendments to the bill that authorizes $10 million for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to study technologies for law enforcement officials to use in determining whether a driver is impaired by marijuana and a federal study on the impact of marijuana legalization in the workplace.
In an effort to help restore resources to communities adversely impacted by the “war on drugs,” the bill also creates a Cannabis Justice Office charged with establishing and carrying out the Community Reinvestment Grant Program. The program would provide legal aid in civil and criminal cases, job training and health education programs, among other community initiatives.
Congress was unsuccessful to pass this type of legislation before this bill. The House passed a version of the same bill in December 2020, but it was stalled in the Senate as because then-the Majority Leader Mitch McConnell never brought it to the floor.
The legislation is an attempt to reverse the harmful effects stemming from the “war on drugs,” a global campaign started in the 1970s by former President Richard Nixon with the stated goal of eliminating illegal drug use and trade in the United States.
