A new bill was passed by the House of Representatives on Nov 20, 2020, to decriminalize marijuana. This bill called the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or MORE ACT, would effectively remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act.
Here’s a brief overview of the bill and its hopeful journey to the Senate.
Historic Passage in the House of Representatives
Simply put, the MORE Act would decriminalize cannabis and erase nonviolent federal marijuana convictions.
Furthermore, this act would also open the door for numerous other benefits for the public, including pathways to potential ownership opportunities in the industry and opportunities that allow veterans to obtain medical cannabis from Veteran Affairs doctors.
A Step Forward In Racial Justice
Additionally, it would also establish much-needed funding to reinvest in communities affected for almost 50 years by the war on drugs.
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., co-sponsors of the bill, wrote in a joint letter to Congress that reforming marijuana policy is a “critical issue of racial justice”. They stated that reformation is necessary to reverse the damages caused by “the failed war on drugs that has devastated communities of color, especially Black and Brown communities” (NBC).
Passed in the House, Now onward to the Senate
While the creation of this bill is a monumental step forward for the industry, and also a hopeful effort towards aiding communities disproportionately affected by the war on drugs, we aren’t getting our hopes up quite yet for this bill to become a federal law.
Here’s why.
While public acceptance is at an all-time high, the bill also needs to be passed in the Senate, which is unlikely to happen. The Senate is currently in the hands of a Republican majority.
Even though it’s a slim majority, Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnel is unlikely to give this bill a chance in the Senate.
It’s not impossible that the bill will pass in the Senate, but Republicans have had a historically unfavorable view of marijuana in the past and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Counting Our Victories
Despite this, 2020 has been a momentous year for marijuana, as many states have officially voted to legalize marijuana medically, recreationally, (or both!). Read up on that here and see if your state has recently changed its legislation on marijuana.
As always, MYDX stands for safe and enjoyable marijuana consumption in all legal states. Try out our Growers Package and use code HOLIDAY for 10% off for this Christmas season!
