U.S. House votes to end federal ban on marijuana
The U.S. House on Friday approved landmark legislation to end the federal ban on marijuana as an increasing number of states, including New Jersey, are legalizing cannabis within their borders.
Under the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or MORE Act, cannabis would be decriminalized on the federal level, leaving it up to the states to decide whether to legalize it.
The vote was 228-164, largely along party lines. All 10 House Democrats from New Jersey voted yes and both Republicans, Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith voted no.
“Federal action on this issue would follow the growing recognition in the states that the status quo is unacceptable,” said the bill’s chief sponsor, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.
“I have long believed that the criminalization of marijuana has been a mistake. And the racially disparate enforcement of marijuana laws has only compounded this mistake, with serious consequences, particularly for communities of color.”
While the Senate is not likely to take up the legislation during the current session as lawmakers rush to finish their work in order to return home for the holidays. advocates called the House vote an important milestone.
“By establishing this new trajectory for federal policy. We expect that more states will revisit and amend the archaic criminalization of cannabis, establish regulated consumer marketplaces. And direct law enforcement to cease the practice of arresting over half a million Americans annually for marijuana-related violations,” said Justin Strekal, political director for NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
But Kevin Sabet, president, and co-founder of Smart Approach to Marijuana. Which opposed the bill, said the vote was meaningless without Senate action.
Pot Industry Has Won A Post-Season Exhibition
“The pot industry has won a post-season exhibition game. But they’re treating it like Game 7 of the World Series,” Sabet said. “It’s an unserious bill that was voted on in an unserious manner. Its proponents know it passed and died simultaneously, a rare feat even for this Congress.”
Three dozen states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use and 15 states and the District of Columbia have legalized weed for recreational use. A record 68% of U.S. adults in a Gallup poll released last month said marijuana should be legal.
Residents of New Jersey and four other states voted just last month to legalize the drug.
“We’re not rushing to legalize marijuana,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. “The American people have already done that.
Legalize Weed For Recreational Or Medical Use
The legislation marked the first time that either house of Congress went on record as opposed to putting cannabis in the same category as heroin. And end the conflict between federal law, which prohibits the use of marijuana. And New Jersey and the other states that have decided to legalize weed for recreational or medical use.
Marijuana is currently scheduled as a Class 1 controlled substance. Ending the classification, known as de-scheduling, 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, including for military veterans.
The bill also would require federal courts to expunge prior nonviolent marijuana convictions. Tax cannabis to help communities hardest hit by the war on drugs, fund job training programs. And provide loans to minority-owned small businesses seeking to enter the cannabis industry.