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This week the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill that would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and require federal courts to expunge many prior marijuana offenses. It will be the first time the full House will vote on ending the federal prohibition of cannabis.
Morgan Fox with the National Cannabis Industry Association says House passage would “send a really strong message to not only the rest of Congress, but to a lot of other states that the time to end prohibition has come.”
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act), introduced by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D., N.Y.), would eliminate conflict between state and federal law and allow states to set their own marijuana policies.
“We don’t need to have one size fits all. We just need to get rid of prohibition and then let the states do what the states are doing. It’s essentially what the states have done already. They haven’t waited for the federal government, which is why we have a lot of these discrepancies and challenges,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D., Ore.), who has long pushed for marijuana legalization.
Blumenauer and Rep. Barbara Lee (D., Calif.) — who also wrote parts of the legislation — told Yahoo Finance the bill is a racial justice issue.
“It’s coming at a time when Americans are recognizing how hopelessly flawed the criminal justice system is,” said Blumenauer.
‘You’ve got to repair the damage’
The MORE Act would impose a 5% sales tax on marijuana and marijuana products. The revenue would go toward a new trust fund for grant programs designed to help people “adversely impacted by the War on Drugs” access job training, re-entry services, legal aid, treatment and more. The bill would also provide protections prohibiting denial of federal benefits based on use, possession or conviction for a marijuana offense.
“Regardless of who you are, if you’ve been incarcerated and if you’ve done your time and you get out, you should be provided for a second chance,” Lee told Yahoo Finance. “When you’ve been incarcerated or when you have have a record based on unjust laws — they’re really targeted in many ways, Black and Brown people — then you’ve got to make restitution, you’ve got to repair the damage. This fund is about the time that was lost because of barriers to employment, because of incarceration.”
The MORE Act would open up more opportunities for marijuana businesses, including access to Small Business Administration funding. It would also require the Bureau of Labor Statistics to gather demographic data on cannabis business owners and employees to ensure people of color and economically disadvantaged people are taking part in the industry.
“That really sets out a process for equity in the industry. This is a job-creating industry, and it also provides economic opportunities for minority-owned business owners,” said Lee.Graphic by David Foster/Yahoo Finance
The House Judiciary Committee passed the MORE Act last year 24 to 10 — Rep. Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.) and Rep. Tom McClintock (R., Calif.) were the only Republicans who voted for the bill.
In an interview with Yahoo Finance, McClintock said while he didn’t endorse marijuana, it’s clear U.S. marijuana laws have “not accomplished their goals.”
“These laws have done far more harm than good. They’ve created a violent underground economy and ruined the lives of so many young people who’ve had a youthful marijuana conviction, follow them and ruin their lives,” said McClintock.
The House was scheduled to vote on the bill in September, but Democratic leadership postponed the vote because some members in tight races worried passing the MORE Act before a stimulus package could hurt them at the polls.
Nearly a month after the election, there is still no additional coronavirus relief and many Republicans are again slamming Democrats for what they see as prioritizing the cannabis bill over coronavirus relief efforts.
Democrats have already passed two versions of the Heroes Act and argue it’s the Trump administration and Republican Senate that’s holding up stimulus talks.
SOURCE: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/house-gets-ready-for-historic-vote-on-federal-marijuana-prohibition-192829701.html
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