The federal cannabis legalization bill could be voted in the House sooner rather than later

By Jelena Martinovic

The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act is slated to land on the floor of the House of Representatives next week, reports Marijuana Moment.

Rumors of a plenary vote, coming from a congressional staffer and a key advocate familiar with the high-level discussions, and another source close to the editorial board of Marijuana Moment, are fueled by a closed-door session that was held weeks ago by congressional Democrats in a party retreat. The session included a panel on the evolution of marijuana reform.

Photo by MmeEmil/Getty Images

Cannabis advocates have worked tirelessly to get another bill on the floor of the House of Representatives this month to legalize federal cannabis.

The Marijuana Justice Coalition (MJC), a broad coalition of national advocacy groups convened by the Drug Policy Alliance, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch, sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) , and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) earlier this month, who is calling for a vote on the bill.

Nadler’s bill passed 26:15, with 24 Democrats and two Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee joining that September session.

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

“This legislation would end the federal marijuana ban, address the side effects of state marijuana criminalization, and take steps to ensure the legal market is diverse and inclusive,” MJC’s letter said.

RELATED: Does the New MORE Act Stand a Better Chance?

The formal introduction of a separate Senate legalization bill, which is being finalized by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and others, is pending. Schumer revealed his plan to introduce that legislation — the Cannabis Administration & Opportunity Act (CAOA) — in April.

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk from Pexels

Legalizing marijuana is not increasing teenage use

Meanwhile, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Nora Volkow reiterated Wednesday that there is no evidence to support the false claim that marijuana use has increased by youth in states where it is legal, reported Marijuana Moment.

“In the United States in particular, the legalization of marijuana by some states has not been associated with increases in youth marijuana use,” Volkow said in response to a question from Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

RELATED: Another year that legalization of marijuana isn’t increasing its use among youth

Cassidy said Volkow’s claim “surprised” him. “If you relax the blue laws on alcohol, you end up consuming more alcohol by youth in that particular county or community,” he replied to the NIDA director.

Volkow said officials are “seeing a significant increase in marijuana use among adults and among young people, but not among adolescents, which is exactly different from what you’re saying with the alcohol.”

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