Biden is unlikely to oppose the Senate-approved cannabis legalization bill, despite an unclear stance
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The House of Representatives approved the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, HR 3617 on April 1 and sent it to the Senate. The MORE Act repeals cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act and allows states to legalize cannabis, its production and sale free from federal interference.
What’s next? That is of course a matter for the Senate. And while many industry experts doubt that the Senate will approve federal marijuana reform this year, the question also arises: what will happen if the MORE bill is passed?
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RELATED: President Biden is under pressure from all sides for his stance on cannabis legalization
The hierarchy says it’s up to President Joe Biden. So the next question is, will Biden use his presidential veto to nullify the cannabis legalization bill when it reaches his desk?
Risk of losing young voices
According to Paul Quirk, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia in Canada, Biden would be “severely pressured to veto” support for cannabis use because he cannot allow the younger generation of voters to do so lose, Newsweek reported.
“Legalization is supported by two-thirds of all Americans, an even higher percentage of Democrats, and the vast majority of younger people,” Quirk said. “The 18-39 age group is exactly where Biden has lost the most support since his inauguration.”
“Vetoing marijuana legalization would make Biden public enemy #1 for many of the young voters whose support he desperately needs to win back,” he added.
Marsha Cohen, a law professor at UC Hastings College of the Law, agrees that signing the MORE Act would allow Biden to win back some young voters, although she also discounts the chances of the bill passing the Senate.
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“Young people may also be the least responsive to pollsters right now because they may not care. this [bill] could ‘talk’ to them,” Cohen told Newsweek.
There’s also Lisa Jordan, vice president of marketing at cannabis consultancy Canna Advisors, who also doubts Biden will refuse to sign the law because of “growing” public support for federal marijuana legalization in the country.
“Signing the bill into law would be positive for the cannabis industry and would serve as a unifying theme across party lines,” Jordan said. “Without a doubt, the latest step in lifting the federal ban on cannabis would see a tangible improvement in its ratings.”
What is Biden’s position on cannabis legalization?
The truth is that it’s not really clear, although Biden said repeatedly during his 2020 presidential campaign that he wanted marijuana decriminalized and previous cannabis convictions automatically erased.
After a full year in the Oval Office, Americans haven’t seen either.
Despite pressure from all sides, the president has not relented despite numerous letters from marijuana advocates, lawmakers, celebrities and those who have been negatively affected by the war on drugs and still are, including those behind bars because of it Marijuana-related convictions.
A poll conducted in January by YouGov and The Economist found that a majority of US citizens do not have much hope that the president will make any headway on this important reform in 2022. According to the poll, 54% believe Biden has done little to make progress on marijuana decriminalization; 23% said they didn’t know and a further 23% believe he had made some or a lot of progress on the matter.
Expectations? Not many
Overall, 58% of respondents do not expect Biden to make any progress towards cannabis decriminalization in 2022, with 26% unsure what to expect and only 16% optimistic that he will make some or much progress on the issue will. It’s important to note that 58% of respondents confirmed that they support marijuana decriminalization, and 25% do not.
RELATED: Most Americans don’t believe Biden will deliver on his promise to decriminalize cannabis
On the other hand, the Biden administration recently expanded its employee conduct guidelines to potentially deny security clearances for people supporting marijuana-related businesses. Some industry experts see this as an indication of possible or imminent federal legalization and that government policies are prepared to avoid conflicts of interest.
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On the same day that the MORE Act passed the House of Representatives on April 1, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki noted that the President believes there should be a different approach to cannabis laws.
“As the President said during the campaign, our current marijuana laws are not working. He agrees that we need to rethink our approach, including to address racial disparities and systemic inequalities in our criminal justice system, expand research on the effects of marijuana, and support the safe use of marijuana for medical purposes,” Psaki said.
It’s also important to note that if the MORE bill doesn’t make it to the President’s desk, many other cannabis-related bills will need Senate consideration, such as the Cannabis Administration & Opportunity Act — sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) and the States Reform Act – sponsored by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).
Is it possible that none of them will be signed by President Biden?
This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.
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