Why is the Congressional Cannabis Caucus Co-Chair Voting Against the MORE Act?

Through Nicholas Rodriguez

A key House of Representatives committee on Wednesday formally ratified the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, which will essentially legalize cannabis.

Meanwhile, Rep. Dave Joyce (OH-R), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, sent a letter to fellow GOP members explaining why he intends to vote against the MORE bill as drafted . He also offered them guidance on the “cannabis policy landscape,” Marijuana Moment reported.

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Under the auspices of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D), the MORE Act would remove marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances, promote industry equality, and impose a federal tax on marijuana products to encourage various initiatives finance.

MP Joyce opposes provisions of the MORE Act, which would “penalize those who have made a point of operating legally at their own expense by imposing an additional tax on legal operators to offset the cost of illegal operators entering the industry cover up.”

Joyce pointed to the legislation he sponsored, the Common Sense Cannabis Reform Act, a bill that would deregulate cannabis at the federal level and direct the Food and Drug Administration and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (under the Treasury Department) to allocate marijuana regulate. The proposed legislation makes no mention of reparations to communities disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs.

“He is committed to making the MORE Act conversation among Republicans a responsible dialogue about the inevitable end of Prohibition and to helping other conservatives address this important issue,” Joyce communications director Katherine Sears told Marijuana moment.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.