Photo: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill to highlight the MORE Act (Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act) legislation in Washington, Nov. 19, 2019. Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote this month on whether to decriminalise cannabis on a federal level.
The Act is known as the HR 3884—the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or MORE Act, and was introduced by Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).
If it were to pass the House, it would remove cannabis from the controlled substances act, where it is currently a class 1 scheduled substance, putting it alongside cocaine and heroin. The Act would also allow states to implement their own laws concerning production and sale, and allow dealers to open official bank accounts.
Just as importantly, it would expunge past cannabis convictions across the whole of the United States. This means that anyone already convicted of the crime, or with a criminal record related to cannabis, would have their crime struck from their record. Some believe that it would also lead to thousands being released from prison. In some states, individuals caught on three strike laws and currently serving life or other massive sentences in prison due to cannabis possession could see themselves back out on the street. A relief to both them and their families.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, who supports the policy, said:
"After many months of hard work and collaboration, we finally have a chance to end the failed policy of prohibition that has resulted in a long and shameful period of selective enforcement against people of colour, especially Black men. As people across the country protest racial injustices, there's even greater urgency for Congress to seize this historic opportunity and finally align our cannabis laws with what the majority of Americans support, while ensuring restorative justice."
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) added:
"This war on pot has not been a war on pot. It has been a war on Black people and brown people and low income people. This is not about legalization of marij*****. That's too simplistic. This is about restorative justice. It's about equal justice under the law."
While it is believed a majority of Democratic congresspeople are supportive of the Act, it is thought that it will be opposed by most Republicans. Therefore it is unclear whether the bill will receive enough support from both sides of the aisle to reach maturity.
What is clear is that many politicians are now accepting that the war on drugs will never be won and that more sensible approaches are required to reduce harm and addiction.
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