Marijuana advocates had something to celebrate last week as the House passed a bill to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level on Friday.
The House passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act by a vote of 228 to 164.
Six Democrats voted against it and five Republicans voted for it. Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida was the only Republican to co-sponsor the bill.
The measure would not only remove marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances but also expunge federal convictions for non-violent marijuana offenses.
“This long-overdue legislation would reverse the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana on the federal level and would take steps to address the heavy toll this policy has taken across the country, particularly on communities of color,” House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler stated after the MORE Act was passed.
In a speech on the House floor ahead of the vote, Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries said, “The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. We have ruined lives, families and communities. It’s a stain on our democracy. Marijuana use is either socially acceptable behavior or it’s criminal conduct. But it can’t be socially accepted behavior in some neighborhoods and criminal conduct in other neighborhoods when the dividing line is race.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wasn’t too thrilled that the House Democrats were voting on a bill on decriminalizing marijuana instead of focusing on coronavirus relief.
“The House of Representatives is spending this week on pressing issues like marijuana. Marijuana. You know, serious and important legislation, befitting the national crisis,” McConnell said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged McConnell to bring the legislation to a vote in the Senate and said, “the House has taken a historic step towards finally ending the federal prohibition on marijuana.”
“Today’s bipartisan vote shows just how far that movement has come. I am encourage by the action the House has taken and I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to support these efforts as well,” Schumer commented.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where unfortunately it is unlikely to pass.
