Legislation in the House of Representatives that would decriminalize and fully deschedule marijuana now has 76 sponsors.
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act was filed in September by US Representative Jerrold Nadler (D) along with four cosponsors. By the end of November the number of cosponsors climbed to 73.
On Wednesday, Representatives Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Jesús García (D-IL) and Mark Takano (D-CA) signed on as cosponsors, bringing the total number to 76. This represents 17% of the entire House of Representatives, and over a third of all House Democrats.
The MORE Act is “one of the most comprehensive marijuana reform bills ever introduced in the U.S. Congress”, says Representative Nadler.
In addition to removing marijuana as a controlled substance, effectively decriminalizing it nationwide, the measure “aims to correct the historical injustices of failed drug policies that have disproportionately impacted communities of color and low-income communities by requiring resentencing and expungement of prior convictions.”
The MORE Act would place a 5% excise tax on legal marijuana sales for the first two years, with it increasing to 8% by the fifth year. The Act includes numerous provisions to protect marijuana consumers, including preventing them from being denied public benefits, and it would allow for the expungement (removal from criminal records) of nonviolent marijuana-related offenses.
To view the text of the MORE Act, click here.
A different federal marijuana bill – the SAFER Banking Act – is sponsored by 34 of the Senate’s 100 members, and recently received approval through its initial committee. The measure would allow banks and other financial institutions to provide services to state-legal marijuana businesses.
