The U.S. House Panel made a landmark decision this week when it approved a bill to legalize marijuana on a federal level.
On Wednesday the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that legalizes marijuana on the federal level, removing it from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act.
The legislation passed 24 to 10 and now heads to the House where it may stand a chance at approval as the Democrats control the chamber with 234 seats.
Once it moves to the Republican-controlled Senate it may face hurdles as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opposes marijuana legalization.
“The criminalization of marijuana has been a mistake,” Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., remarked during the markup of the bill. “The racial disparity in marijuana enforcement laws only compounded this mistake with serious consequences, particularly for minority communities.”
“I don’t think a majority of the Republicans will support this bill,” Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado commented. “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.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea … to say, ‘the Senate won’t take this bill,’” Nadler said. “When the House passes a bill, it’s part of a continuing process. It’s not the end of a process.”
According to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the legislation is the “biggest marijuana news of the year.”