House lawmakers are reintroducing the bipartisan Cannabis Eradication Bill

Two lawmakers in the House of Representatives this week reintroduced bipartisan legislation to support states passing guidelines to vacate prior cannabis crime convictions. The bill, the Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE) Act, was introduced Wednesday by Republican Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York.

If passed, the HOPE Act would provide federal grants to assist states with the financial and administrative burden of overturning prior convictions for marijuana-related offenses. The bill had previously been introduced in 2021 but was not scheduled for a hearing or vote in the previous Congress. Lawmakers behind the bill, who have been vocal about cannabis policy reform at the federal level, said deleting records can help reduce the lasting effects of a minor offense conviction.

“The vast majority of minor, non-violent cannabis law violations occur at the state and local levels, depriving millions of Americans of basic opportunities such as housing and employment,” Joyce said in a statement. “As a former public defender and prosecutor, I understand firsthand how these barriers can negatively impact families and economic growth in Ohio and across the country. The HOPE Act works to break down these barriers in a bipartisan way to pave the way for the American Dream and to remedy the unjust war on cannabis.

The legislation provides federal grants of up to $20 million over 10 years to state and local governments to erase records of past marijuana convictions. Funding could be used to implement technology to automatically delete large volumes of records, clinics to support people eligible for deletion, notification systems to let people know when their records have been deleted, administrative costs for sealing of Records and partnerships to assist in large scale record deletion .

“As we continue to advocate for the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana, this bipartisan bill will provide communities with the resources they need to eliminate drug allegations that continue to keep Americans, particularly people of color, from employment, housing and other opportunities.” ‘ he told Ocasio-Cortez.

Brian Vicente, founding partner at cannabis law firm Vicente LLP, said the legislation complements an executive order enacted by President Joseph Biden last year that pardoned all federal convictions for simple cannabis possession. At the time, the President urged governors to take similar action at the state level, writing on Twitter: “Sending people to jail for possession of marijuana has turned too many lives upside down for behavior that is common in many states.” is legal.”

“The HOPE Act lives up to its name. Its reinstatement by the “odd pair” of Liberal Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Conservative Rep. Joyce shows the world that there is bipartisan support for marijuana reform at the highest levels of government,” Vicente wrote in an email to the High Times. “It reinforces the fact that key members of Congress agree with the majority of the American public – adults who use marijuana should not face criminal penalties. This bill would put some real teeth into President Biden’s 2022 stated interest in pardoning people with federal marijuana convictions by providing significant state-level funding for federal programs to eliminate marijuana crimes.”

The reinstatement of the HOPE Act was quickly lauded by activists and cannabis industry representatives, including the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and the National Cannabis Roundtable, a trade group committed to continued cannabis policy reform.

“The HOPE Act promises just that: hope and a second chance for people suffering the lifelong consequences of being arrested for state-level marijuana possession,” NORML Political Director Morgan Fox said in a statement. “As more states end their failed policies of criminalizing marijuana users, it falls to Congress to help them repair the related harms that it has perpetuated for decades. This legislation is a huge step towards righting the wrongs caused by the ban and improving the lives of millions of people across the country.”

Saphira Galoob, executive director of the National Cannabis Roundtable, said: “Only through deletions can we remove the barriers to employment, education and housing opportunities for those who have already been unjustly harmed by federal prohibition. With cannabis programs now in 38 states, restraining and punishing individuals for activities that are now state legal is the definition of unfair, and NCR thanks U.S. Representatives Joyce and Ocasio-Cortez for their efforts in getting Congress to approve them to finally right wrongs.”