If nine out of ten Americans believe that marijuana should be legal for adults—and according to a Pew Research poll conducted in April, they do—this begs an obvious question: Why hasn’t Congress passed federal marijuana legalization?
UNITED STATES – APRIL 28: Members of the DC Marijuana Justice community hold a 51 blow-up joint on … [+]
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The country’s closest brush with national cannabis reform was last December, when the House of Representatives for the first time approved a legalization bill with a floor vote. As expected, the milestone was symbolic: The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement Act (or MORE Act) did not receive a hearing in then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Senate. (The fact that its sponsor was then-Senator Kamala Harris (D-California), the vice-president elect, probably didn’t help.)
With Democrats in charge of both houses of Congress and the White House—and with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer an avowed legalization supporter, will things be any different, or better? On Friday, House Democrats on Friday reintroduced the MORE Act, which would remove cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act, wipe certain marijuana-related offenses from individuals’ criminal records, and steer money towards individuals and communities hurt by the War on Drugs.
US President Joe Biden eats an ice cream at Honey Hut Ice Cream in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 27, 2021. … [+]
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One competitor for the MORE Act is what’s called the “Common Sense Cannabis Reform For Veterans, Small Businesses, and Medical Professionals Act.” Sponsored by Ohio Rep. Dave Joyce and Alaska Rep. Don Young—both Republicans—the bill does some of what the MORE Act would do, with one very critical difference: it omits the reinvestment and opportunity elements.
Instead, the bill legalizes interstate cannabis commerce, encourages medical cannabis research, and creates access for military veterans. Regulations for a nationwide marijuana industry would be the responsibility of the Food and Drug Administration and the Treasury Department, which would have to issue federal direction within one year of passage.
For all these reasons, pro-cannabis business lobbies in Washington warmly received the Republican-led legalization effort.
There are more differences between the two bills, on important points like taxation and research as well as social-justice reform. But who cares what’s in a bill if it never becomes a law?
If the MORE Act’s sponsors want to do anything beyond making another superficial statement, they’ll need help from Republicans—and lots of it. Passing the MORE Act in the Senate, where arcane rules require at least 60 votes in order to pass most substantive legislation, will require support from ten Senate Republicans as well as every Democrat. And given…
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