House Vote on Legalizing Marijuana Expected This Week

Legislation to legalize marijuana has received support from Democrats and Republicans, and is poised for approval in the House this week in what would be a landmark shift in the war on drugs.

The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act would eliminate criminal penalties associated with marijuana and establish a process to expunge the convictions of nonviolent marijuana offenders and fund programs to help communities negatively impacted by the war on drugs by imposing a federal tax on marijuana sales, reports The Hill.

It has received near -uniform support among Democrats and a top ally in  Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer.

The bill marks yet another step that Congress has taken towards legalization after enabling legally operating cannabis businesses to use banking services and credit cards instead of having to function as cash-only, and unanimously passing a bill to expand scientific and medical research on marijuana and its compounds, including cannabidiol.

Cannabis industry advocates have also been urging lawmakers to pass the SAFE Banking Act to allow marijuana businesses to use banking services, since it is more likely to secure bipartisan support.

A 2021 Pew Research Center poll found that 91 percent of U.S. adults believe that marijuana should be legal to at least some extent, with most stating it should be legal for medical and recreational use.

Roughly 37 states, four territories and the District of Columbia allow cannabis products for medical use, with nonmedical use legalized in 18 states, two territories and the nation’s capital.