U.S. House to vote on ending federal ban on marijuana
A postponed vote on landmark legislation ending the federal ban on cannabis will take place within a week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced Friday.
Hoyer, D-Md., specifically listed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or MORE Act, as one of the items of business when the House returns from the Thanksgiving holiday. Lawmakers scheduled to debate and vote on the legislation either Thursday or next Friday.
The floor vote follows referenda in New Jersey and four other states. Where residents voted to legalize cannabis for recreational use. A record 68% of U.S. adults in a November Gallup poll said marijuana should be legal.
“National support for federal cannabis legalization is at an all-time high. And almost 99% of Americans will soon live in states with some form of legal cannabis,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.
“Congress must capitalize on this momentum and do our part to end the failed policy of prohibition. That has resulted in a long and shameful period of selective enforcement against communities of color.”
This would be the first-ever congressional vote to remove the ban on cannabis. But the chances of it becoming law are slim as there is no indication the Senate will vote on the bill before adjourning this month.
Marijuana is currently scheduled as a Class 1 controlled substance. Ending the classification, known as descheduling, would allow states to legalize it, give banks the ability to offer credit cards and checking accounts to legal cannabis businesses, and make it easier to study any medicinal benefits of pot.