United States: Congressional committee passes cannabis legalization bill

For the first time, a U.S. Congressional committee has approved a bill to end federal cannabis prohibition.

The House Judiciary Committee passed the MORE Act (Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement) by 24 votes to 10 on Wednesday, paving the way for a vote before the full House.

The vote saw two Republican Representatives, Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Tom McClintock (R-CA), join their Democratic colleagues and vote in favor of the bill.

The debate on the bill generally saw two opposing positions. Republican legislators argued that the bill was coming too quickly and should be the subject of further hearings. Democratic members responded that there had been enough debate on the issue and that time was running out to begin reversing the decades of damage caused by the enforcement of prohibition.

On the other hand, some GOP members, who have recognized that the status quo is untenable, have called for a separate cannabis bill, the STATES Act, which would strengthen states' ability to legislate cannabis without federal intervention, but which contains no social equity elements and would not decriminalize cannabis. arguing that a scaled-back approach would be better in the Senate.

MORE Act passed

If approved, the MORE Act, introduced by Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, would decriminalize cannabis at the federal level, expunge the criminal records of those previously convicted of cannabis and impose a 5% tax on sales, the proceeds of which would be reinvested in communities most affected by the war on drugs.

It would also create the ability to re-evaluate the convictions of those incarcerated for cannabis-related offenses, protect immigrants from being denied citizenship for cannabis, and prevent federal agencies from denying public benefits or security clearances because of its use.

«These steps are long overdue. For too long, we have treated marijuana as a criminal justice issue, not a matter of personal choice and public health,» Nadler said in his opening remarks. «Arresting, prosecuting and incarcerating people at the federal level is reckless and unfair.»

«I have long believed that the criminalization of marijuana was a mistake,» he said. «The racially unequal enforcement of marijuana laws has only compounded that mistake and has had serious consequences, particularly for minority communities.»

Members of the House and Senate, as well as legalization activists, welcomed the committee's approval of the bill.

«The passage of the MORE Act represents the first time the Judiciary Committee has had a positive vote to end the cruel policy of criminalizing cannabis,» said NORML Political Director Justin Strekal. «Not only does the bill undo failed cannabis prohibition, but it also provides pathways to opportunity and ownership in the emerging industry for those who have suffered the most.»

What's next?

After passing this committee, the bill should normally receive the positive opinion of 7 other committees. To speed up its arrival before the House, Jerrold Nadler would like to try to persuade the other competent committees to waive their rights, a complicated process, particularly with the involvement of the Finance Committee (Ways and Means), which oversees tax legislation and generally estimates the cost and revenue of bills.

Then, the MORE Act can be debated and voted on by the full House of Representatives. The measure will still have to pass the Senate to become law, a task that promises to be arduous as the Republican majority is much more conservative on cannabis issues.