Federal legislation to deschedule marijuana and allow the expungement of past convictions has just gained its 94th sponsor in the US House of Representatives.
Yesterday, Congressmember Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) joined as a cosponsor to the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, bringing the total to 94. Budzinski joined as a sponsor the day after Vice President Kamala Harris announced her intentions to run for president; Harris has been a longtime supporter of the MORE Act, including cosponsoring it while she was in the Senate.
The MORE Act aims to remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances, decriminalizing it nationwide. It proposes a federal excise tax starting at 5% on legal marijuana sales for the first two years, increasing to 8% by the fifth year. The bill also includes measures to expunge past marijuana convictions and protect users from being denied public benefits.
In the Senate, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) has garnered 18 sponsors. This act directs the U.S. Attorney General to establish regulations to deschedule marijuana within 180 days of its passage. It proposes a federal excise tax beginning at 5% on marijuana producers, rising to 12.5% by the fifth year, and creates the Center for Cannabis Products within the FDA to oversee the cannabis industry’s production, labeling, distribution, and sales.
For a look at every marijuana-related bill currently alive in the US Congress, click here.
