The House will likely vote on a historic marijuana decriminalization bill next month, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said Friday. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or MORE, would decriminalize marijuana by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act. States would then be free to pass their own laws surrounding weed, which is already legal in 11 states and Washington. The bill also wouldestablish a fund for people impacted by drugs, impose a 5% tax on legal marijuana sales,and establish a process to expunge certain convictions and review sentences related to past federal marijuana offenses. MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION IN ILLINOIS, MICHIGAN COULD TRIGGER INTERSTATE TANGLINGClyburn, D-S. C. , told members that the vote is expected to take place in the September work period, according to an email obtained by Politico. A group of major civil rights and drug policy organizations sent a letter to Democratic congressional leaders last month calling for a vote on comprehensive marijuana reform. In the face of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and a growing national dialogue on unjust law enforcement practices, marijuana reform as a modest first step at chipping away at the War on Drugs is more relevant and more pressing than ever before, the coalition wrote. The MORE Act remains the most effective and equitable way forward. The vote comes at a time of racial reckoning in America with nationwide protestsfor social justice. CONGRESS RAISES NATIONAL TOBACCO AGE TO 21 AS PART OF SPENDING PACKAGEAccording to an American Civil Liberties Union report earlier this year, Black Americans are 3. 64 time more likely than White Americans to be arrested for marijuana possession, despite the fact that they use it at roughly the same rate. Legalized marijuana could also bea windfall to states and cities that have seen their tax revenue plummet during the coronavirus pandemic. For instance, Colorado, which has seen record marijuana
Marijuana decriminalization vote expected in House
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