It’s been reported that the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has passed a bill that decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level. According to CNBC, this bill approval essentially serves to remove marijuana from the Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act. The legislation passed 24 to 10, and is speculated to have a very good chance of approval in the full House, where Democratic lawmakers control the chamber with 234 seats. The bill also makes room for states to be able to create state-specific guidelines, and even gives incentives for clearing the criminal records of individuals with low-level marijuana offenses.
The MORE Act is an important step in countering the over-criminalization, over policing and mass incarceration created by the war on drugs. https://t.co/we9g6uwfWu
— ACLU (@ACLU) November 20, 2019
“The criminalization of marijuana has been a mistake,” Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., stated during the markup of the bill. “The racial disparity in marijuana enforcement laws only compounded this mistake with serious consequences, particularly for minority communities.”
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While the bill has a lot of support from Democratic lawmakers, it is reported that Republican lawmakers feel as if the bill goes too far in its allowances.
Today, the House Judiciary Committee voted to pass H.R.3884, the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, which I introduced with Chair Jerry Nadler (NY-10). The bill passed with a bipartisan vote, 24-10, and now awaits consideration by the full House.
— Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiPress) November 20, 2019
“I don’t think a majority of the Republicans will support this bill,” Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado stated. “It is even less likely that the Senate would take it up. Therefore, I would just suggest that we deal with other bills that we can get a much larger bipartisan support from.”
Nadler later replied to Buck’s sentiments by saying that he’s aware that Republicans won’t accept the bill “as is,” and adding that House Democrats will attempt to “negotiate” with the Senate.
💰 U.S. legal marijuana industry tax revenue in 2018: Over $1 billion
👮 Arrests for marijuana possession in 2018: 663,367
While investors profit from cannabis, people continue to get criminal records.
Ending the prohibition of marijuana must be a priority.
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) November 20, 2019
“I don’t think it’s a good idea … to say, ‘the Senate won’t take this bill.’ When the House passes a bill, it’s part of a continuing process. It’s not the end of a process,” he added.
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