Critical House Committee adopts draft law to lift marijuana ban

By Nicolas Jose Rodriguez

Members of the Justice Committee of the House of Representatives brought HR 3617, the Marijuana, Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2021, Thursday afternoon. The bill was passed between 26-15 years ago, with 24 Democrats backed by two Republicans.

The MORE Act lifts the long-standing federal ban on marijuana by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act – ending the federal-state conflict over cannabis policy and giving state governments more power to conduct marijuana-related activities, including retail sales to regulate.

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“Never before has public support from all corners of the political spectrum been so coordinated that Congress takes action to end the shameful experiment with the marijuana ban,” said Justin Strekal, political director of NORML. “The federal government’s continued criminalization of marijuana is an affront to our declared ideals of freedom, liberty and justice.”

Strekal called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairman Steny Hoyer and House Representative Jim Clyburn to schedule the MORE Act for a full vote in plenary.

RELATED: Breaking: House Committee to Vote next week on legalizing cannabis at the federal level

The MORE Act makes it easier to overturn low-level marijuana convictions. It also:

• Creates ways for participation opportunities in the emerging regulated industry
• Allows veterans to get medical cannabis recommendations from their VA doctors
• Eliminates threats of deportation for immigrants accused of minor marijuana violations
• Provides critical reinvestment grants to communities that have suffered a disproportionate amount of enforcement actions related to marijuana

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Reactions from advocates of legalization and social justice

“We are grateful that the House of Representatives continues to pursue sensible reforms to cannabis policy and reinvigorates this important bill,” said Aaron Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA).

RELATED: The MORE Act won’t legalize cannabis nationwide – not like you think

Maritza Perez, director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, said in a statement: “Despite all the progress we have made in reforming state marijuana laws across the country, tragically it still accounts for the lion’s share of drug arrests in this country which resulted in one arrest every 90 seconds in 2020. And it should come as no surprise that it continues to be one of the, if not the only, major drivers of racial inequality in the US. “

Perez also noted that Thursday’s House Justice Committee vote “sends a clear message that they understand the injustices that have plagued blacks, Latinx and indigenous communities for far too long.”

Perez called the passage of the MORE Act “a concrete and tangible step towards repairing the damage that opens up new opportunities for participation in the legal market and ensures critical reinvestment in these communities”.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.