On Friday (April 1), the House passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (or, the MORE Act), a bill that aims to decriminalize the use of marijuana — and just in time for the unofficial smoker’s holiday 4/20.
As more and more states — such as California, Colorado, Maine and Illinois — have legalized certain amounts of marijuana, it seems as though the House is now on board with the idea. The bill would remove marijuana from the federal schedule of controlled substances, a move that many believe should have been implemented ages ago.
The House attempted to pass a similar bill in December, however it did not make it past the then Republican-controlled Senate.
The bill would have worked to provide the expungement of federal marijuana convictions dating back to 1971 and provide regulation and taxation of legal cannabis sales.
Though approved by the House, today’s bill would also still have to be approved by the Senate. At this time, there has been no official statement from the White House on whether or not President Joe Biden or Madam Vice President Kamala Harris supports the bill.
It would seem that the bill would allow for a boost in the economy as it’s been reported that in 2020 alone legal cannabis sales reached almost $20 billion.
Also, in 2020, Arizona’s Prop 207 legalized the use of recreational marijuana and began expunging the records of marijuana offenders.
Unfair incarcerations continue to be a hot topic in the United States and across the world, especially after WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia for allegedly traveling with hash oil in her luggage. Hash oil is a concentrated cannabis extract. Like many American minorities, Griner remains jailed for the substance. Let us know where you stand on decriminalizing marijuana.