Legislation that would deschedule marijuana and allow for the expungement of past offenses now has 113 sponsors in the US House of Representatives and Senate.
The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) would deschedule marijuana, allow the expungement of past marijuana convictions, establish a federal marijuana excise tax, and create regulatory and safety standards for legal marijuana sales. Filed in May, the measure has 18 sponsors in the US Senate, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
In the House, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act would also deschedule marijuana (effectively decriminalizing it nationwide), allow expungements and establish a federal excise tax on marijuana sales. However, the MORE Act would not create federal safety standards.
Filed in April with just a handful of sponsors, the MORE Act now has 95 sponsors. Combined, the two descheduling measures have 113 sponsors, more than any marijuana-related bill other than the SAFE/SAFER Banking Acts.
In 2020 and 2022, previous versions of the MORE Act were passed by the House when Democrats were in control, but it failed to advance in the Senate, with Republicans and Democrats evenly split. Proponents of the CAOA and MORE Act are optimistic that if Democrats take back the House while retaining the Senate and presidency, they will make descheduling a priority, something several leaders have already hinted at.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, was a co-sponsor of the MORE Act while she was in the Senate.
